Getaway car used by missing Alabama inmate and jail official located in Tennessee
A car that authorities believe an escaped Alabama inmate and a missing jail official used has been located in Tennessee, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton announced Friday. The car had been found and towed by local authorities last Friday, the same day the two went missing.
It took the Williamson County tow shop several days to connect the car they'd found to the one Alabama authorities were looking for, but the sheriff said he does not blame them.
"They found the car before we even knew they were gone," the sheriff said during Friday's press conference.
The 2007 Ford Edge was found on the edge of a county road "in the middle of nowhere" just before 2 p.m. Friday, Singleton said. Inside of the car, officials found jail keys and handcuffs believed to belong to jail official Vicky White. It also appeared they had tried to spray paint the car.
The sheriff said because of the car's location, and how quickly the two abandoned it, they believe the car was having mechanical problems.
Officials are now searching the area, interviewing people in the area who may have seen Vicky White or inmate Casey White, and looking into whether any vehicles have been reported stolen. There have been no reported sightings so far.
"We're sorta back to square one as far as vehicle description right now," the sheriff said Friday.
The total reward for information leading to the two is up to $25,000 — with $10,000 offered for Vicky White and $15,000 for Casey White.
Exactly one week ago, Casey White, who was awaiting trial on a capital murder case, and Vicky White vanished after leaving the Lauderdale County Detention Center. The two are not related but had a "special relationship," authorities said.
Vicky White, 56, told her co-workers that the 38-year-old inmate needed to go to the courthouse for a mental health evaluation. She was escorting the inmate alone — a violation of the sheriff's office policy. When she did not answer her phone or return in the afternoon, authorities realized the pair had gone missing. Authorities eventually learned that the evaluation was never scheduled and was just a charade to allow Vicky White to sneak Casey White out of the jail without suspicion.
The two left in a patrol car, which was found abandoned nearby in a parking lot where investigators believe Vicky White had parked a getaway car — a 2007 orange Ford Edge without license plates. She bought the car just a few days before the escape and paid for it with cash, Keely said.
Singleton said the two had been "in contact via phone" for possibly up to two years before the escape.
"They worked together in designing this plan to escape," said U.S. Marshal Marty Keely, whose deputies are leading the hunt.
Authorities have since learned that Vicky White purchased an array of weapons, including an AR-15-style rifle in January and a shotgun two weeks before the escape. They also believe she has a 9 mm handgun with her and have received reports she may also have a .45-caliber handgun, Keely said.
Federal investigators believe they had been planning the escape for at least several months, Keely said. Vicky White sold her house for $95,000 — nearly half of the market value — and had also sold her car just before the escape, he said. She had also filed paperwork to officially retire from her job.
"It was well planned," Keely said of the escape. "She has a lot of knowledge about law enforcement procedures."
The Marshals Service and the sheriff's office have interviewed a slew of associates, family members and others who knew both Casey White and Vicky White and have received numerous tips in the investigation. But investigators have not come up with any solid leads to locate them.
"We've vetted out all the leads and so far, we have no legitimate spotting," Keely said.
Authorities have said Casey White, who stands 6 feet, 9 inches, should be recognizable by his size.
On Thursday, the Marshals Service released new images of Vicky White, who they said may have tinted her hair "a darker shade." They also shared photos of the inmate, saying he "has numerous tattoos, including some affiliated with the Alabama-based white supremacist prison gang Southern Brotherhood."
Casey White was being held at the jail on capital murder charges in the 2015 death of Connie Ridgeway. He confessed to the slaying in 2020 while in state prison for other crimes. He's been linked to home invasions, carjackings and was also involved in a police chase, Keely said.
Family members and colleagues said they are bewildered by the involvement of Vicky White, who had worked for the sheriff's office for 16 years, with the inmate who was already serving a 75-year prison sentence for attempted murder and other crimes.