Authorities in Louisiana are still searching for six of the ten inmates after escape from the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans on Friday.
The group broke out through a hole behind a toilet, climbed over a fence, crossed a major highway, and even left behind mocking graffiti that read, “To easy LoL.”
As of Tuesday, four escapees have been recaptured, and one jail employee has been arrested for allegedly helping them. The fugitives are considered dangerous, with some facing charges as serious as second-degree murder.
Officials are offering rewards of up to $20,000 for information leading to each suspect’s capture.
Governor Jeff Landry, who ran on a tough-on-crime platform, has launched multiple investigations into the prison break, which he called possibly the largest jailbreak in Louisiana’s history. He’s blaming systemic mismanagement, internal corruption, and a lack of oversight.
Who escaped and who’s still missing?
The men range in age from their late teens to early 40s. Three were caught on the day of the escape: Kendell Myles, who was recaptured in the French Quarter after a brief chase; Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis, both caught following tips to Crimestoppers.
On Monday, Gary Price—jailed on attempted murder and domestic abuse charges—was arrested in New Orleans. He’s now facing new charges and has been moved to a secure state facility.
Still at large are Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate, Derrick Groves, and Corey Boyd. Over 200 law enforcement officers are involved in the manhunt.
District Attorney Jason Williams warned the escapees pose a serious threat. He noted that two attorneys involved in convicting one of the men fled the city with their families out of fear.
How did they pull it off?
The inmates were discovered missing during a routine 8:30 a.m. headcount on Friday—but they had actually been gone for hours. Surveillance footage shows the group prying open a cell door shortly after midnight, slipping through a hole in the wall behind a toilet, and exiting through a loading dock around 1 a.m.
Security video released by the sheriff’s office shows the men in jail uniforms sprinting from the facility. They used blankets to scale a barbed-wire fence and then crossed Interstate 10 on foot, discarding their clothes nearby.
Photos from the cell show graffiti including a smiley face and the phrase “To[o] easy LoL” scrawled on the wall. Investigators believe at least one steel bar had been deliberately cut with a tool to facilitate the escape.
Did they have help?
Yes, according to officials. At the time of the breakout, no deputy was assigned to the inmates’ housing pod. A civilian employee had briefly stepped away to get food. Investigators believe the escapees received assistance from inside the jail.
Sheriff Susan Hutson admitted that defective locks and staffing issues played a role, but also stated, “There’s no way for anyone to get out of this facility without help.” She suggested employees inside the department helped facilitate the escape.
Three jail employees have been suspended without pay while the investigation continues.
Who’s been arrested so far?
On Tuesday, authorities arrested Sterling Williams, a 33-year-old maintenance worker. He allegedly admitted that an inmate told him to shut off the water in the escape cell, and he complied without reporting it—thereby enabling the plan to go forward.
Attorney General Liz Murrill vowed to prosecute anyone involved. She’s also investigating conditions at the facility and what went wrong in the lead-up to the escape.
The Orleans Parish jail has been under federal oversight since 2013 due to long-standing concerns about safety and supervision. Despite repeated warnings, recent reports show the facility continued to fall short, even under Hutson’s leadership, which began in 2022.
Hutson, facing political backlash, claimed she had repeatedly asked for funding to address security flaws like faulty locks. She also hinted the jailbreak might have been politically motivated, noting it happened just as the sheriff’s race heats up.
What happens next?
Gov. Landry has ordered a full audit of the jail by the Department of Corrections and wants all inmates removed from the facility. He says cost is no object when it comes to securing the prison system.
He’s also issuing executive orders aimed at broader reform: identifying pretrial detainees who have not yet been sentenced, scrutinizing judges with high acquittal rates, and speeding up case resolutions.
Landry pointed to the example of Derrick Groves, convicted of a double homicide during Mardi Gras in 2018 but still awaiting sentencing. Had the courts acted more swiftly, Landry argued, Groves would have been in a state prison rather than in Orleans Parish custody—and less likely to escape.