Richard Matt, one of the two escaped New York prisoners, has been killed by police after weeks on the run, officials say.
Richard Matt, 49, was shot dead in woodlands near the town of Malone, about 30 miles from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.
David Sweat, another convicted murderer, remains at large as police continue to search the area.
Richard Matt and David Sweat escaped through the prison sewer system after using power tools to break out of their cell on June 6.
The New York jailbreak set off a massive manhunt.
Photo U.S. Marshals Service
On June 26, police were called to an area south of Malone where a camper van had been attacked. They found evidence left behind by the pair in a nearby hunting cabin.
Richard Matt was later found in woodland armed with a shotgun, police say. When he refused to surrender officers shot him dead, they add.
A search for David Sweat is continuing in the area. Police say he is dangerous and warned the public not to approach him.
Prisoner worker Joyce Mitchell has been charged with aiding the inmates in their escape.
Prosecutors allege that she gave the men power tools that allowed them to saw through a steel cell wall before bashing a hole through a brick wall and crawling through.
Joyce Mitchell denies the charges.
Before their escape, Richard Matt was serving a prison sentence of 25 years to life for the killing of his former boss.
David Sweat was serving a life sentence for murdering a sheriff’s deputy.
Police hunting for New York prison escapees Richard Matt and David Sweat have found evidence in a cabin after a witness reported seeing a man fleeing from the home.
ABC News reported that DNA, found on food near the campsite, is linked to the two convicted killers.
A pair of prison-issue underpants was also found in the cabin, according to the New York Times.
Richard Matt, 49, and David Sweat, 35, escaped on June 6 from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora.
The discovery has shifted the search to an area 20 miles west of the site of the prison break.
Richard Matt and David Sweat escaped from jail through tunnels, using power tools to escape from their cells.
“We have recovered specific items from cabins and forwarded them to labs and got conclusive information, but we will not confirm what it found,” said New York State Police Major Charles Guess at a news conference on June 22.
Police had been searching heavily on a rural area close to the Pennsylvania state line on June 22 in Friendship, 300 miles south of the prison.
On June 20, police responded to a sighting of two men walking along a railway in the area. That sighting is still unconfirmed.
“No lead is too small for us to investigate,” Charles Guess said.
Prison employee Joyce Mitchell has been arrested for possibly helping Richard Matt and David Sweat escape and giving the pair the tools.
Joyce Mitchell was planning on meeting the duo with a getaway car, but changed her mind.
New York State police are investigating two possible sightings of David Sweat and Richard Matt, who escaped a prison in upstate New York two weeks ago.
The convicted killers were reportedly spotted in the Southern Tier of New York state, about 350 miles from the prison where they escaped.
State police spokesman Beau Duffy said June 20 that officers got a lead that David Sweat and Richard Matt might be in Allegany County, near the Pennsylvania border.
David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped on June 6 from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, near the Canadian border.
On June 19, New York state police said in a news release that two men fitting the description of David Sweat and Richard Matt had been seen a week ago in Steuben County. Allegany County is west of Steuben County.
Officials also said June 19 that a corrections officer was placed on administrative leave as part of the investigation into the prisoners’ escape.
New York State Police have arrested Clinton Correctional Facility worker Joyce Mitchell for helping convicted killers David Sweat and Richard Matt who escaped from the prison last weekend.
Joyce Mitchell, 51, was charged with providing tool parts used in the breakout.
Workshop instructor Joyce Mitchell appeared in court accused of befriending Richard Matt and David Sweat and giving them contraband. She pleaded not guilty to charges of helping them escape jail.
David Sweat and Richard Matt escaped a week ago using power tools to cut through their cell walls at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York state.
A massive manhunt is currently under way for the pair.
Joyce Mitchell has been jailed for the weekend and will appear in court again on June 15. If convicted she faces up to eight years in prison.
According to prosecutors, Joyce Mitchell gave Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, hacksaw blades and drill bits, but did not provide the more powerful tools they used.
She also planned to be the pair’s getaway driver but changed her mind at the last minute, said investigators who are also looking into whether she had improper ties to one of the men.
Joyce Mitchell’s family has said she would not have helped an escape.
Richard Matt and David Sweat cut through brick and steel to crawl through an underground pipe and emerge from a manhole outside the prison’s 40ft walls.
The manhunt – involving hundreds of police officers searching stretching in New York State, Vermont and Canada – is now into its seventh day.
Bad weather has hampered the search, police say, but the men are also at a disadvantage if they have not found shelter.
Police dogs have found where fugitives David Sweat and Richard Matt may have spent the night after they escaped from New York prison six days ago.
Food wrappers and other evidence were discovered in the woods nearby Clinton Correctional Facility.
Police have been receiving hundreds of tips from the public, and a sighting has been reported in Philadelphia.
The manhunt in northern New York and surrounding areas has now extended to campsites and boat slips in neighboring Vermont.
Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo held a joint press conference outside the maximum security prison from where the men escaped.
“New York was going to be hot. Vermont would be cooler, in terms of law enforcement,” Peter Shumlin said, referring to the unspecified information about the men’s whereabouts.
Rainstorms have complicated efforts by masking scents detectable by search dogs and forcing officers to wade through swamps.
Officials at the Saranac Central School District, less than a mile from the prison, closed schools on June 11 “in order to assist law enforcement personnel with their search efforts, and due to the closure of a number of roads”.
Police are also interviewing a cab driver in Philadelphia, who says he may have given a ride to the men early on Thursday morning.
Philadelphia is about 400 miles from the prison.
Police have received hundreds of tips from the public, but the Philadelphia police commissioner says there is no reason to believe David Sweat, 34, and Richard Matt, 48, are in the city.
Richard Matt was given a jail term of 25 years to life for beating a man to death in 1997.
David Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy, Kevin Tarsia.
Convicted murderers David Sweat and Richard Matt, who are on the run for five days after breaking out of prison in New York, may now have fled to Vermont, investigators believe.
David Sweat, 34, and Richard Matt, 48, cut their way out of prison using power tools.
Police believe the men thought Vermont would be a “cooler” destination with fewer officers on their tail, Governor Peter Shumlin said.
Vermont was working to get the “dangerous men” locked up, officials said.
Addressing some of the 450 officers involved in the search New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said: “Follow every lead you have.
“Follow them as if it’s the lead that’s going to break the case. I am confident we are going to find them, the only question is when.”
The manhunt in northern New York and surrounding areas has now extended to campsites and boat slips in neighboring Vermont.
Governors Peter Shumlin and Andrew Cuomo held a joint press conference outside the maximum security prison from where the men escaped, Clinton Correctional Facility.
Referring to the unspecified information about the men’s whereabouts, Peter Shumlin said: “New York was going to be hot. Vermont would be cooler, in terms of law enforcement.”
Police confirmed on June 10 that they had interviewed “one woman in particular” who may have befriended the inmates and had a role in David Sweat and Richard Matt’s escape, but would not go into detail.
That woman “may had had some role in assisting them”, said New York State police Superintendent Joseph D’Amico.
An unnamed source told CNN earlier that woman is Joyce Mitchell, who worked at the prison tailor shop.
Joyce Mitchell had planned to pick up Richard Matt and David Sweat after they escaped but changed her mind at the last minute.
She has not been arrested or charged, and her son has said his mother would not have helped the prisoners escape.
Richard Matt was given a jail term of 25 years to life for beating a man to death in 1997.
David Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy, Kevin Tarsia.
The escape of convicted murderers Richard Matt and David Sweat from a maximum security jail in New York has been described as a “crisis situation” by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, used power tools to break out of Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora near the Canadian border.
Andrew Cuomo said: “These are dangerous men capable of committing grave crimes again.”
New York State is offering a $100,000 reward for any information leading to Richard Matt and David Sweat arrest.
The governor said the prison breakout was the first escape from the facility in 150 years.
The New York Post reported that Richard Matt and David Sweat cut through the steel back walls of their cell before clambering along a catwalk to reach a series of pipes and tunnels, which they again cut their way through.
Richard Matt and David Sweat then climbed up through a manhole into a nearby street, “disappearing into the darkness some 20 miles south of Canada”.
They placed bundles of clothing in their beds to fool guards into believing they were asleep, before making their escape during Friday night. Their absence from adjoining cells was not discovered until the following morning.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said someone must have heard at least some of the noise.
After the prisoners were apprehended, the authorities would conduct a full review of the escape, he added.
“We’ll go through the exact details of what they did and how they did it to ensure this never happens again.”
Richard Matt was given a jail term of 25 years to life for the kidnapping and beating a man to death in 1997.
David Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for the murder of Broome County Sheriff’s Deputy, Kevin Tarsia.
Police are trying to determine how the men acquired the tools needed to carry out the escape.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo posted pictures of pipes and walls with chunks cut out after he was shown the inmates’ escape route.
More than 200 officers are searching for Richard Matt and David Sweat, using sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance.
They may have crossed the border into Canada or headed to another state, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. There is also concern they may have had assistance from someone outside the prison.
Roadblocks have been set up in the area to catch Richard Matt and David Sweat, who both have distinctive tattoos, according to local media.
Two convicted killers are on the run after escaping from a maximum security jail in New York.
They used power tools to cut through steel pipes at a maximum-security prison near the Canadian border and escape through a manhole, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on June 6.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo described Richard Matt and David Sweat as “dangerous individuals”.
They cut through steel pipes at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora and fled through a man hole.
Andrew Cumo said the prison breakout was the first escape from the facility in 150 years.
Photo New York State Police
“It was an elaborate plot,” the governor added.
David Sweat, 34, was serving a life sentence without parole for the first degree murder of Broome County sheriff’s deputy.
Richard Matt, 48, was given a jail term of 25 years to life for the kidnapping and beating a man to death in 1997.
The two men’s adjoining cells were found to be empty during a morning check, said Anthony Annuci, the acting state corrections commissioner.
“A search revealed that there was a hole cut out of the back of the cell through which these inmates escaped,” he added.
“They went onto a catwalk which is about six stories high. We estimate they climbed down and had power tools and were able to get out to this facility through tunnels, cutting away at several spots.”
Police are trying to determine how the men acquired the tools.
More than 200 officers are searching for the prisoners, using sniffer dogs and aerial surveillance.
Clinton Correctional Facility is about 20 miles from the Canadian border. Roadblocks have been set up in the area, according to local media.
David Sweat is described as a white male, 5ft 11in tall, with brown hair and green eyes. He weighs 165lb and has tattoos on his left bicep and his right fingers.
Richard Matt is also white and is 6ft tall.
He has black hair and hazel eyes and weighs around 210lbs.
Richard Matt’s tattoos include “Mexico Forever” on his back, a heart on his chest and left shoulder and a Marine Corps insignia on his right shoulder.
This website has updated its privacy policy in compliance with EU GDPR 2016/679. Please read this to review the updates about which personal data we collect on our site. By continuing to use this site, you are agreeing to our updated policy. AcceptRejectRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
