US Marshals Find Getaway Vehicle Used in Alabama Prison Escape

A photo combination shows Casey Cole White (L) and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White in April 2022. U.S. Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office via AP

The U.S. Marshals Service on Friday said that authorities tracked down an SUV that was used in connection to an Alabama prison escape involving a longtime prison official.

The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee wrote in a Friday Twitter post that the vehicle had been reported abandoned “a week ago” in Bethesda.

“The vehicle used by escaped Alabama inmate Casey White and former Correctional Officer Vicky White has been located in Williamson Co in Bethesda. There is NO sign the two are still in our area. The SUV was reported abandoned a week ago. It was identified last night,” said the sheriff’s office, which included photos of the copper-colored car.

Vicky White is accused by officials of helping Casey White, who was facing murder charges, of escaping from prison last week. The two are not related to each other, officials said, adding that they were involved in a “special relationship,” disappearing from Alabama’s Lauderdale County Detention Center on April 29.

Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said during a news conference Friday that the SUV, described as a 2007 Ford Edge, may have been abandoned due to mechanical problems “because it was abandoned out in the middle of nowhere.”

“We know now where the car is, we know what direction they went. Right now we’re trying to canvass the area for any witnesses,” the sheriff said. Officials are also trying to learn if any vehicles were reported stolen nearby.

The U.S. Marshals, meanwhile, have said that the pair should be considered armed and dangerous as they “may be armed with an AR-15 rifle, handguns, and a shotgun.” A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to their capture.

Officials said that Vicky White knowingly and willingly participated in Casey White’s escape from jail. This week, Singleton told media outlets that Vicky White told her co-workers on the day of the escape that she was going to transport Casey White to a court-ordered mental health hearing before they absconded. Singleton said no appointment was actually made.

“This was a very well-thought-out plan and her knowledge has put us at a loss,” Singleton told ABC News on Friday. She also submitted her retirement papers and the day of the escape was her last day on the job.

Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly told ABC News Friday that Vicky White recently withdrew tens of thousands of dollars in cash from several banks before she allegedly fled with Casey White.