Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution inmate Bradley Gillespie has yet to be located as of Saturday morning
A pair of inmates from Allen Oakwood Correctional Institution in Ohio escaped after hiding in a dumpster, and police say they are still on the lookout for one of the two men.
On Saturday morning, the Henderson Police Department in Kentucky shared that it was “continuing our efforts” in locating prisoner Bradley Gillespie, 50, after he and James Lee, 47, escaped by reportedly concealing themselves in a Dumpster and making their way to Kentucky.
On early Wednesday morning, the Henderson Police Department and the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office discovered a red 1991 Mercury Capri that was “was believed to be occupied” the day before by Gillespie and Lee. NBC News and multiple other outlets note that the duo fled prison “after concealing themselves in a Dumpster,” citing the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.
The department first shared news of their escape following the warden’s prisoner counts on Tuesday, when it was discovered the men were missing.
“Law enforcement attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the vehicle in the 2200 block of US Hwy 41 North. The vehicle immediately fled from officers,” Henderson Police shared on Facebook.
After a “short” pursuit, both men fled on foot and Lee, who was driving, was apprehended. Gillespie was not, and his shoe was located two streets away, police revealed.
Police have since been working to find Gillespie with a “large amount of manpower from several law enforcement agencies, police K9s, water vessels, helicopters, and drones.” The area has a “heavy police presence,” per authorities, as they continue to “canvass neighborhoods and follow leads.”
Gillespie’s daughter has also recorded a video, shared by authorities on Twitter, and encouraged her father to turn himself in.
“Hey dad, if you’re hearing this, I’d prefer you turn yourself in before something bad happens,” she said. “I want you in my life, I want you at my wedding. I don’t want anything bad to happen. So if you could please just turn yourself in before anybody gets hurt, I would appreciate it. We want you safe. We want you back. We want nothing bad to happen.”
“We’ve been going around the clock,” Henderson Police Chief Sean McKinney told NBC, adding that he believes the prisoner was injured during his escape.
He added that Gillespie was seen with a pronounced limp in a video from a Home Depot parking lot in Evansville, Indiana hours before the pursuit in Henderson. Gillespie’s status is listed as “escaped” on the corrections department’s offender search as of Saturday. In 2016, he was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced to a pair of consecutive 15-to-life sentences.
Four Ohio prison officials have since been placed on administrative leave, with local station WRGT sharing the leave notices for the major and the three corrections officers. The outlet also reports that an internal investigation by the correction department remains ongoing.
In a press briefing Friday, Police Chief Sean McKinney estimated that authorities had used 1,600 man-hours in the search for Gillespie.
“It is Memorial Day weekend, and I want the citizens of Henderson to enjoy the holiday and have fun,” McKinney said. “I just want them to be safe and be vigilant… I would just say, if you’re on the river, and you see something out of place, give us a call. But absolutely, we will have a presence more so than we normally would.”