Manhunt for Vicky White and Casey White ends with death of prison guard

Alabama jail officer and fugitive Casey White were on the run for 10 days

This combination of photos provided by the US Marshals Service and Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office in April 2022 shows Casey Cole White and Assistant Director of Corrections Vicky White. Photo: US Marshals Service, Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office / AP

A more current image of inmate Casey White. AFP / Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office

A mugshot of Casey White, an Alabama murder suspect believed to be on the run with a female corrections officer who authorities say participated in his escape. AFP / US Marshals Service

The US Marshals Service has added a $10,000 reward for information leading to the capture for the escaped inmate Casey Cole White and the location of the 'considered by law enforcement to be missing and endangered' corrections officer from Lauderdale County. EPA / Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office

US law enforcement began conducting a sweeping manhunt on May 2, 2022, for an Alabama murder suspect and a female corrections officer who authorities say participated in his escape, warning that both individuals were extremely dangerous. US Marshals Service / AP

An Alabama correctional facility. AP

A bizarre drama that has gripped the US ended in tragedy as a female prison guard who went on the run with a murder suspect died after shooting herself as the pair were caught at the climax of a 10-day manhunt.

Vicky White and Casey White, who were not related, were arrested in Evansville, Indiana, on Monday after crashing their car into a ditch as police acting on a tip were in hot pursuit, officials said.

Vicky White, described as romantically involved with the fugitive prisoner, shot herself, said Vanderburgh County sheriff Dave Wedding. The county coroner's office later confirmed her death.

White the prisoner sustained minor injuries in the arrest.

“We got a dangerous man off the street today. He is never going to see the light of day again,” said Rick Singleton, the sheriff of Lauderdale County in Alabama, home to the scene of the original jailbreak.

White has had numerous run-ins with the law, and has been sentenced to 75 years imprisonment for kidnapping, burglary and attempted murder, among other crimes.

No shots were fired by law enforcement officers, and no police or bystanders were hurt.

The arrest was made thanks to a tip after the couple were spotted at a hotel, Mr Singleton said.

Chris Swecker, a former FBI assistant director, told CNN this was a case of someone “looking for love in the wrong places.”

“You have this guard falling in love with a prisoner who probably groomed her over a period of time,” said Mr Swecker, “to collude with her on this escape.”

Vicky White, an Alabama prison guard with a spotless record, was suspected of helping long-time criminal Casey White escape custody on April 29 - her last day of work before retirement.

Investigators learnt that White had sold her home in the weeks before the escape, and had withdrawn about $90,000 in cash from several banks in the area, Mr Singleton said last week.

Mr Singleton said last week that Vicky White had used an alias to purchase a Sport Utility Vehicle used as the getaway car, and was likely to try to do that again.

The US Marshals Service, a federal agency specialising in fugitive manhunts, also said White may have darkened her hair.

The agency released composite images of what she would look like, as well as photos of Casey White's tattoos — including one associated with a white supremacist prison gang.

On her last day at work, Vicky White fabricated a court-ordered psychological evaluation for Casey White.

She said she needed to drive him to the appointment. But the two never returned, and authorities realised they had disappeared that afternoon.

Vicky White's mother Pat Davis said she was in disbelief over that escape.

“I thought at first it was a mistake,” she told a local TV channel. “She's never done anything, I bet she's never even had a speeding ticket.”