UPDATED 5/9, 11:20 p.m. ET: Vicky White was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital, CNN reports. She reportedly suffered from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
“Ya’ll help my wife, she shot herself in the head and I didn’t do it,” Casey White is reported to have told officers following the car chase that ended in authorities catching up to them. Casey and Vicky were not married, according to US Marshal Matt Keely.
See original story below.
Former corrections officer Vicky White and escaped inmate Casey White were arrested Monday after their vehicle crashed during a car chase in Indiana, New York Postreports.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Office said United States Marshals Service officers received a tip late Sunday night claiming the two were spotted at a hotel in Indiana. When authorities arrived at the scene, they fled in a black Ford F-150 truck with Casey behind the wheel and Vicky in the passenger seat. The ensuing car chase ended with their vehicle crashing and Casey being taken into custody.
Vicky was transported to a nearby hospital after suffering a self-inflicted gunshot wound during the chase. Vanderburgh County Sheriff Dave Wedding described her injury as “very serious,” adding that White is in “pretty serious shape,” CNN reports.
A search for the two started after Vicky White, a former assistant director of corrections at Lauderdale County Detention Center, helped Casey White flee by saying she was taking him out of the jail for a mental health evaluation that was never scheduled. She returned only to claim she wasn’t feeling well and required medical attention.
At the time of his disappearance, Casey was awaiting his sentence for a capital murder charge that he confessed to committing. He remained behind bars for a separate crime, which included carjacking, home invasion, and more.
Authorities later learned that Vicky used an alias to buy the orange 2007 Ford Edge used in their escape. Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said at the time she had two fake IDs to their knowledge, but suspected there could more. White has been charged with forgery and identity theft.
The Ford Edge was found abandoned on Friday in Tennessee. Investigators were left to wonder what their next steps could be until they received a call about Casey appearing in surveillance video at a car wash in Indiana.
The Whites, who are not related, are thought to be in a romantic relationship. They will now be taken back to Alabama where they will be arraigned, according to CBS News.
