Ricky Martin, 20, and Kentravious Holmes, 21, were being held at the Sumter County Jail in Americus, Georgia, a town located roughly 139 miles south of Atlanta. The duo faced charges of murder, aggravated assault, and aggravated battery, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

Sheriff Eric Bryant revealed that the escape was facilitated by a maintenance door in the ceiling of the facility, which was not secured properly. This door led the inmates through the HVAC system, ultimately allowing them to reach the outside. Investigators are actively working to determine the fugitives’ current whereabouts, and have been in contact with their families for any potential leads.

The escape occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday night, adding to a series of jailbreaks in the region.

In a similar incident last December, three inmates, one of whom was also facing murder charges, broke out of a jail located east of Atlanta. They subsequently hijacked a Lyft vehicle, forcing the driver into the backseat, and used it to flee to southern Florida before being apprehended, as detailed in court records.

Three inmates, including a murder suspect, escaped from a jail east of Atlanta in December. They attacked a Lyft driver, shoving her in the backseat and drove her car to south Florida before they were captured, according to court records.

Four men escaped a central Georgia jail in 2023.

In October, authorities found the last Louisiana inmate in an Atlanta home after a high profile monthlong search for a group of men who broke out of a New Orleans jail in May,

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