A manhunt for the inmates who escaped from a New Orleans jail by fleeing through a hole behind a toilet entered its fourth day on Monday, as officials increased the reward for the capture of the fugitives.
Seven of the 10 men remained at large Sunday, a spokesperson for the Louisiana State Police confirmed in an emailed statement to the Associated Press. The agency was unable to provide details about the scope and target of the investigation for security reasons, the email said. The spokesperson added that a multiagency task force was scouring the region for the remaining fugitives.
In a separate statement, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said on Sunday her office’s “main priority remains recovering the prisoners, protecting the public, securing and stabilizing the facility staff, and building.”
At a news conference on Sunday, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said the escape was the worst in recent state history and said he is ordering an audit of the sheriff’s office as well as the Orleans Parish Prison.
“This massive jailbreak could be the largest jailbreak in the history of the state, and it never should have happened. The public deserves to know who, what and how this happened,” Landry said.
