A ‘very dangerous’ murder suspect is on the loose after he escaped from a Pennsylvania jail using bedsheets he tied together.
Michael Burham, 34, was able to hoist himself out of the Warren County Jail by climbing on top of exercise equipment and then out a metal-gated roof late Thursday night, authorities say.
He then climbed down from the roof using bedsheets he tied together.
Burham was being held at the jail on a $1million bail for a slew of charges including kidnapping, burglary and arson. He is also the ‘prime suspect’ in the shooting death of New Yorker Kala Hodgkin, 34, in May.
Authorities say he is a ‘self-trained survivalist’ who could now be hiding out in the Allegheny National Forest — which covers more than half a million acres of rural Pennsylvania on the New York border.
Officers have tracked down several ‘small campsites’ Burham may be using. They warn he could be armed, and are asking the public to remain vigilant and not leave out any items he may use as weapons or a means of transportation.
Michael Burham, 35, remains on the loose after he escaped custody Thursday night
Burham has an identifiable tiger tattoo on his left forearm. He was last seen wearing a denim jacket, an orange-striped prison jumpsuit and Crocs, though he may have changed
Authorities say Burham hoisted himself out of the Warren County jail (pictured) by climbing on top of exercise equipment and then out a metal-gated roof
Burham was arrested by the FBI in May following a dayslong manhunt, with officials at the time claiming the 34-year-old engaged in a ‘spree of alleged crimes.’
Chautauqua County District Attorney Jason Schmidt said last month Burham is the ‘prime suspect’ in the May 11 killing of Hodgkin and a related arson in Jamestown.
Police at the time said they were responding to reports of shots fired at the mother-of-three’s house and found her dead upon arrival.
Burham is the ‘prime suspect’ in the shooting death of Kala Hodgkin, 34, in May
Burham was already wanted by authorities on a rape charge, and it is said that Jamestown police also responded to a domestic violence incident in which Burham’s ex-girlfriend claimed he broke into her home and set her vehicle on fire.
In the aftermath, Pennsylvania State Police were contacted by an individual who was concerned that her parents did not attend their granddaughter’s soccer game on May 20.
The victims were not at home when police conducted a wellness check, not did they answer police calls.
Eventually, officials with the South Carolina Highway Patrol contacted the state police saying they located the victims alive in a cemetery in North Charleston on May 21.
The victims said they were kidnapped at gunpoint from their home in Sheffield, Pennsylvania and identified Burham as their kidnapper.
He was located later that day hiding out in a nearby shed.
Local, multi-state and federal investigators are taking to the ground and air to search for the alleged murderer
Warren County police fear Burham ‘may be receiving assistance’ from someone
In recent days, state police have searched residences where Burham was thought to be hiding out
Local, multi-state and federal investigators are now taking to the ground and air to once again search for the alleged murderer.
They have already scoured multiple residences, abandoned structures and wooded areas using K-9 units, drones and airplanes.
But the search is taking place in a large area that has difficult terrain, cabins and oil and gas sheds that could offer a place to hide, and Warren County police fear Burham ‘may be receiving assistance’ from someone.
‘If you have the survival skills, there’s a lot of opportunity to evade police,’ Matt Mangino, a former Lawrence County, Pennsylvania district attorney told FOX News.
Still, he said, ‘I think it’s inevitable that police are going to find him — it just depends how long it’s going to take and what other damage or victims might come about because of this man.’
A glimmer of hope arose during the search on Sunday, when police said they found stockpiles of supplies and campsites Burham may have used.
‘It supports what we’ve said all along, that he’s prepared, as a survivalist in the past, and tried to be ready, if you will, to spend time in the woods,’ Lt. Col. George Bivens, deputy commissioner for the Pennsylvania State Police said at a news conference.
‘Anyone in this situation becomes more desperate over time, and we plan to use that to our advantage,’ he added.
‘He’s not going to be able to get a lot of rest. We’re going to push hard until we find him.’
Warren County Sheriff Brian Zeybel also said he does not believe Burham is a ‘master of the game’ but could probably tolerate ‘a little more discomfort than you or I.’
Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens announced Sunday they found stockpiles of supplies and campsites Burham may have used
But just hours after Burham went missing from the Warren County jail, a western New York couple reported coming home to find their dog dead and some male clothing stolen.
Some food was also missing, they told FOX News, but the couple’s firearms were securely locked away.
Lauraine Peterson said the missing clothes included a blue hooded sweatshirt with the name of her boyfriend’s business on the left upper chest, Lobbs Automotive, and a car logo printed across the back as well as a pair of dark gray sweatpants.
Burham was last seen wearing a denim jacket, an orange-striped prison jumpsuit and Crocs. He has an identifiable tiger tattoo on his left forearm.
Officials are now asking the Warren community to remain vigilant and report anything suspicious, saying residents should ‘secure their homes, their cars, their businesses and not allow him easy access to supplies or vehicles.’
The US Marshals Service, meanwhile, is offering a $7,500 reward for any information leading to Burham’s capture, while Crime Stoppers is offering $2,000.
