‘We will find them’: Police believe escaped inmates are still in Louisiana

By Jasmine Franklin

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    NEW ORLEANS (WDSU) — The Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, the one agency the public is anxiously awaiting an update from, did not attend Sunday’s news conference.

However, other state and city leaders did, including Gov. Jeff Landry, Mayor LaToya Cantrell, FBI leaders, state police, and Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick.

Landry is in New Orleans addressing the manhunt after 10 inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center, and the failures he thinks have been exposed.

“We will find them and we will bring them back to justice,” Landry said. “My understanding is that the Orleans Parish Jail is beyond capacity because again, the cases are not moving, such as nine of the 10 escapees.”

Three days in, the search for the seven remaining escapees continues.

Along with neighboring parishes, state police say they have notified law enforcement in nearby states.

“We have had some leads in other states, unfortunately, those leads didn’t pan out,” said Col. Robert Hodges, Louisiana State Police.

Police say leads from the public did help them capture the first three inmates.

Passionate remarks from state and city leaders come as the FBI doubles its reward.

“Until they are back in custody, we should all remain vigilant,” said FBI leaders.

Notably absent was the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, which did not attend Sunday’s news conference.

Landry said he is taking immediate action, issuing executive orders and an audit reviewing the correctional facility.

“This massive jail break, which my statistics show could be the largest in the state, should never have happened,” Landry said.

Landry said nine out of the 10 inmates were awaiting trial. He said that had they been convicted sooner, they likely would have been at a secure state facility.

“There is no excuse for the way these cases are being mismanaged in our criminal justice center,” Landry said.

Meanwhile, Louisiana State Police say they will continue tracking down each tip.

“Unfortunately, they have friends and family members who are helping them and concealing and helping them move, which makes law enforcement’s job more challenging, we end up getting there a little too late,” Hodges said.

WDSU reached out to Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson.

This is the Sheriff’s Office Response:

“We appreciate the support of our fellow law enforcement and judicial system partners. Moments like this require coordination, communication, and shared responsibility across agencies. With that, I acknowledge and respect Governor Jeff Landry’s decision to initiate a comprehensive audit following the recent escape of ten inmates.

In addition to the immediate actions already taken under my leadership, I view the Governor’s audit as another necessary step toward transparency. But it is equally critical that we recognize the longstanding, systemic challenges that have impacted this facility for years, challenges I have been working to address since the beginning of my tenure.”

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