Michael Charles Burham, an inmate at the Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania, managed to escape from confinement Thursday night, raising alarm in the area and sparking a massive manhunt involving 10 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.
Burham, 34, was in custody on charges of arson and robbery, but is also a prime suspect in the murder investigation of a New York woman, involved in the theft of a car and the kidnapping of a couple while evading capture.
A Burnham se
considers him very dangerous
Burnham is considered “very dangerous,” so authorities have warned the community to be vigilant and report anything out of the ordinary, and to stay away from the suspect if they encounter him.
In the early hours of Friday, jail guards realized that Burham had disappeared from the recreation area.
As seen on jail security video, Burnham managed to get on exercise equipment by escaping from the yard through a hatch in the metal roof of the area, Cecile Stelter told reporters Friday afternoon, Warren County spokesman.
He then used several tied sheets to safely descend from the roof, Stelter said, also explaining that staff realized Burham was missing shortly after his escape.
“We consider him dangerous for his past actions,” Stelter added, so “we ask the public not to approach him, and if they see anything unusual to call 911.”
The whereabouts of the dangerous fugitive are unknown
On Saturday, Warren County authorities admitted they did not know Burham’s whereabouts and explained that the search has extended beyond the city limits.
According to Stelter Burham it has “survival skills” and is capable of living in wooded areas for long periods of time.
Warren police asked city residents to check their security cameras for any possible sightings of Burham, who was wearing a jail-issued blue jean coat, white and orange pants and orange shoes when he escaped.
“The Pennsylvania State Police assumed command of the incident due to geographic jurisdictions and resources as the search expands throughout the county and into areas of New York,” the agency explained in an update posted on Facebook on Saturday.
murder suspect
The Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania, from which Durham escaped, is 27 miles south of the city of Jamestown in upstate New York, where Karla Hodgkin resided and was murdered on May 11.
According to a federal criminal complaint, Hodgkin, who was a 34-year-old mother, was found shot to death in her home and at the time of the murder, Burham was the subject of an active warrant accusing him of raping Hodgkin.
During the search for the suspect, police received a report that Burham had attempted to break into the home of an ex-girlfriend and then proceeded to set her car on fire, the complaint says.
At that time, Burham forced authorities to embark on a multi-state search leading up to his May 24 capture in South Carolina.
During that manhunt, Burham allegedly kidnapped a couple at gunpoint from their home in Sheffield, Pennsylvania. the complaint indicates that they were later found alive in a cemetery in North Charleston, South Carolina.
In the vehicle was a note allegedly written by Burham telling his father that he was “safe for now” and apologizing “for all the trouble I have caused the family.”
Jailbreaks that are stranger than fiction
2023-07-09 00:14:00
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