(CNN) — The vehicle in which missing Alabama jailer Vicky White and accused murder inmate Casey White escaped was found in Tennessee, and authorities are trying to determine if the couple might have another car.
The Ford Edge SUV was located at a trailer lot in Williamson County, about two hours north of Florence, Alabama, where the disappearance investigation began on April 29, the U.S. Marshals Service said Friday. Federal.
The van was brought there last Friday, when Williamson County Sheriff’s Office authorities responded to an abandoned vehicle and found the car locked up, with no tags or identifying information, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office told CNN. Sharon Puckett.
The tow truck driver who picked up the Ford vehicle remembered this when he saw a story on local television this week about the missing jailer and inmate and alerted his boss, who contacted authorities.
The vehicle used by the escaped inmate and the jailer.
The new information means the couple likely abandoned their vehicle less than four hours after leaving Florence on April 29, perhaps due to mechanical problems, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said during a news conference Friday. .
But now authorities are “back to square one” when it comes to what the couple may have done next, and are working to determine if the couple stole another vehicle or someone else drove it, the sheriff said.
“It doesn’t really leave us much, we just know which way they were headed, they headed north from here,” the sheriff said. “After Friday afternoon, when they abandoned that car, which way they went from there, we don’t know.”
Investigators also know that Vicky White had money with her when they disappeared and are working to find out more details, Singleton added. She may also be using different aliases and identities, the sheriff said.
The sheriff said Vicky White’s handcuffs, jail keys and radio were found in the car. There also appeared to be an attempt to spray paint the vehicle, the sheriff said.
Image of the vehicle found.
New images of the jailer and the prisoner who escaped from Alabama
The US Marshals Service released images showing what the jailer would look like Vicky White, 56 and who was blonde when she disappeared a week ago, if she changed her appearance to have darker hair or shorter hair.
In addition, other new photos show the distinctive tattoos of escaped prisoner Casey White, 38.
The US Marshals Service released edited images of what Vicky White would look like if she dyed her hair a darker color.
The US Marshals Service also revealed that in 2015 Casey White allegedly threatened to kill his ex-girlfriend and her sister, saying he wanted police to kill him. Authorities have informed his “potential targets” about his escape and the threats against him, as well as taking “appropriate protective measures,” the agency said.
There is a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the location of the jailer and $10,000 if it leads to the capture of the escaped prisoner in Alabama, the agency said Thursday. Authorities added that “subjects must be considered dangerous and may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun.”
The US Marshals Service released these images of Casey White’s tattoos.
“We are following the clues”
Meanwhile, investigators frantically sift through hundreds of leads from the public, some of which they say may have some potential.
“The leads that we get, we’re pursuing as aggressively as possible. Some of them look promising. But it takes time to follow through,” Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN on Thursday. “Hopefully one of them will work for us and we can track them down,” he added.
Authorities continue to insist that Casey White should be considered “extremely dangerous.” Precisely, he was being held in the Lauderdale County jail awaiting trial on murder charges against him and was also serving a 75-year sentence for a series of crimes committed in 2015.
The disappearance of the jailer and the prisoner in Alabama
The jailer and the inmate, who are not related, left the Lauderdale County Detention Center in Alabama on April 29 and have been on the run ever since. During the course of this week’s investigation, authorities discovered that Vicky White and Casey White may have been in a romantic relationship. In that sense, they believe that Vicky White probably willingly assisted the inmate in his escape.
Currently, there is an arrest warrant against the jailer on the charge of allowing or facilitating aggravated escape. In addition, she no longer retains her job as deputy director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office, the agency said in a statement Wednesday. Although Vicky White was scheduled to retire on Friday, the paperwork process was not completed, Singleton added.
This edited image from the US Marshals Service shows the height of the fugitives in relation to the car in which they are believed to have escaped.
To help the public identify the jailer and the escaped prisoner, the US Marshals Service also released an image showing the height difference between the two, as well as their size compared to the Ford Edge SUV. where they are believed to have escaped.
Not ‘the Vicky White we know,’ says sheriff
Singleton described Vicky White as an “exemplary employee”, who had the respect of her colleagues and “a spotless record”.
The sheriff was unable to provide a reason why the jailer allegedly helped the inmate escape in Alabama. And in this regard he maintained: she is not “the Vicky White that we know”.
Vicky White made some big financial decisions before April 29, including selling her case for a well below market value. The house was negotiated for $95,550, documents show. However, county records indicate the total current value of the property is $235,600.
The relationship could be traced back to 2020 when Casey White was transferred to Lauderdale County for a murder arraignment, according to the sheriff.
Singleton said the couple had a “special relationship” which was confirmed, in part, by fellow inmates who told authorities Casey White “was getting extra food on her tray.” Also that she “gained privileges that no one else had. And all this came from her.”
The official reported that the couple continued to communicate after Casey White was transferred back to state prison. The inmate returned to the Lauderdale County Detention Center in February to attend court hearings in his murder case.
Then, authorities say, Vicky White asked on the morning of April 29 that Casey White be prepared for transportation. The jailer said she would take him to court alone, which violates department policy requiring inmates to be accompanied by two sworn officers at all times, Singleton said.
Authorities released this image of the Ford Edge SUV they believe Vicky White and Casey White escaped in.
Investigators determined that after leaving prison, the couple drove to a shopping center parking lot, abandoned the police cruiser, and left in an orange or copper-colored 2007 Ford with some damage to the left rear bumper. according to the US Marshals Service. The agency also noted that it is unknown if the car has a license plate and what the license plate number might be.
Investigators believe Vicky White purchased the getaway vehicle in Rogersville, Lauderdale County, and left it in the parking lot the night before the couple fled, according to Singleton. They likely have since abandoned their getaway car because the description has been widely shared, she said.
CNN’s Erin Burnett, Jamiel Lynch, Chuck Johnston, Amara Walker, Jade Gordon and Tina Burnside all contributed to this report.