NEW ORLEANS – On Thursday, authorities revealed they are looking into another social media post featuring a man claiming to be Antoine Massey, a fugitive who escaped from a New Orleans jail over two weeks ago. This marks the second such incident within a week.
The most recent Instagram post, seemingly shared on Wednesday, depicts a man in front of a blue car, identifying himself as “#AntoineMassey” and displaying the same distinctive facial tattoos.
Officials are uncertain about when or where the photo believed to feature Massey was captured. However, they “are treating the post as if it’s real,” according to a senior law enforcement official. The official provided this information to The Associated Press under anonymity, as they were not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape involving 10 inmates.
The group yanked up a faulty cell door, crawled through a hole in a wall behind a toilet where steel bars had been cut and then scaled a barbed wire fence using blankets for protection. It was one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history.
State and local officials have heaped criticism on the management of Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who has largely blamed the jailbreak on poor infrastructure and the inability to make needed improvements at the 10-year-old $150 million facility.
Eight of the escaped men have been apprehended, while Massey and another fugitive, convicted murderer Derrick Groves, remain on the run.
In the Instagram post, the person claiming to be Massey states he is “innocent.” Massey, 32, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, domestic battery involving strangulation and motor vehicle theft.
“We would encourage Mr. Massey to turn himself in and go through proper legal channels for his day in court,” said Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair in an emailed statement. He added it was “unknown at this time” if Massey posted the photo or when it was taken.
Earlier this week, other videos made by Massey surfaced on social media, leading authorities to raid a New Orleans home a little over two miles (three kilometers) from the jail, where they believed the videos were produced. But they said they only found some of the clothing they believed he wore in the videos.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry urged Massey and Groves on Tuesday to “quit the hide-and-seek game” and turn themselves in.
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