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The U.S. Marshals Service is offering up to $10,000 for information leading to the capture of Casey White, a capital murder suspect and the location of “missing and endangered correctional officer” Vicky White who went missing in northwest Alabama on Friday, the federal agency announced on Sunday.
White, 38, and Lauderdale County corrections officer left a detention center around 9:40 a.m. on April 29 to go to a courthouse but never arrived, the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office said.
The two are not related despite sharing a last name.
“Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public,” said U.S. Marshal Marty Keely.
White was charged with two counts of capital murder in September 2020 in the stabbing of 58-year-old Connie Ridgeway, and he was already in jail for a series of crimes committed in 2015, including home invasion, carjacking and a police chase, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. White confessed to the murder and was awaiting trial at the Lauderdale County Jail at the time of his disappearance, according to the agency.
Casey White is 6 feet 9 inches, weighs approximately 260 pounds, and has brown hair and hazel eyes, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Anyone with information on Casey White’s location or Vicky White’s disappearance should contact law enforcement by calling the USMS Communications Center at 1-800-336-0102 or submitting anonymous tips via the U.S. Marshals Tip App, according to the agency.
“Do not attempt to apprehend this fugitive,” said Keely.
Vicki and Casey White left the detention center purportedly for a mental health evaluation at court. But investigators have since confirmed that such an evaluation was never scheduled, according to Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton.
At the time of her departure, Vicki White, an employee of 25 years, told the booking officer that she would be going to a medical appointment after dropping off Casey White because she wasn’t feeling well. But she had no appointment scheduled, Singleton said.
She also transported the suspect by herself — a strict violation of the policy requiring two sworn deputies for the transport of a person under those charges, the sheriff said.
The marked 2013 Ford Taurus patrol car that they traveled in was later found at a shopping center, according to the sheriff.
Officers realized the two were missing at around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, when Vicki White’s phone went straight to voicemail after repeated attempts to contact her, the sheriff said, adding that it was then confirmed that Casey White never returned to the detention center either.
Vicki White had a 9mm firearm, and it was not known whether there were any other weapons in the patrol vehicle, Singleton said.
On Friday, the sheriff said investigators were looking for any video of the shopping center where the patrol vehicle was found to learn more about what happened.
Investigators are seeking to determine whether Vicki White assisted Casey White in his escape, but are operating as if she was taken against her will until they know otherwise, Singleton said Friday.
“I do think this, knowing the inmate: I think she’s in danger, whatever the circumstances,” the sheriff said Friday. “He was in jail for capital murder.”
Source: This post first appeared on NBC News
