A “survivalist” murder suspect who escaped from prison using a rope made from bed sheets is getting help as he remains on the run, say police.
Fugitive Michael Burham, an Army veteran with survival and firearms training, has evaded a manhunt that began last week after he broke out of Pennsylvania’s Warren County jail.
Pennsylvania State Police investigators believe that he is now hiding in the forests along the border of Pennsylvania and New York with outside assistance.
He was being held on kidnapping and related charges and is also suspected of murder and rape in New York. Mr Burham is accused of shooting Kala Hodgkin of Jamestown, New York, on 11 May before going on the run. He was eventually arrested in South Carolina following a multi-state manhunt.
“We do believe that he is getting some assistance,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt Col George Bivens told reporters on Monday. “We are prepared to prosecute anyone who does offer him assistance.”
Officials say that the suspect got onto the roof of the Pennsylvania jail’s gym before using the bedsheets to climb down.
He was wearing the jail’s orange-striped jumpsuit, a denim jacket and Crocs when he escaped, although police say he may now have changed outfits.
More than 150 officers from local, state and federal agencies are now following up on reported sightings of the suspect in both states.
Lt Col Bivens added that the suspect is considered armed and dangerous and is thought to still be in Warren County or a neighbouring area.
Police say that they have been tracking the suspect since Friday and have found a number of makeshift camps in the area.
The suspect has multiple family members in the area but officials have not said if they are cooperating with law enforcement.
“At some point, we will force him to make a mistake, and when he does, we will use that to our advantage,” Lt Col Bivens said.
Mr Burham served in the Army Reserve as a water treatment specialist and utilities equipment repairer from February 2008 to December 2020, according to Fox News.
