Three inmates managed to escape from the Sullivan County jail in Tennessee on Friday, prompting local lockdowns and an extensive manhunt to find the escaped convicts and return them to confinement.
The search is now focused on only one of those escapees, as authorities have now reported that two of the three escaped convicts have been confirmed as deceased following a robbery and pursuit in neighboring North Carolina, according to the Washington Examiner.
The two fugitives who have been confirmed as dead were identified as 38-year-old Tobias Wayne Carr and 45-year-old Timothy Allen Sarver. The remaining escapee still believed to be on the loose is 50-year-old Johnny Shane Brown.
Two fugitives dead, third remains at large
An updated Facebook post from the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office in Tennessee revealed that the office had been “notified that Tobias Carr and Timothy Sarver have been confirmed deceased in Wilmington, NC.”
“Preliminary information indicates both men were involved in a robbery at a convenience store in another part of North Carolina and led authorities on a multi-jurisdictional pursuit before the vehicle was disabled in Wilmington. Additional details will be released when possible,” the update noted.
The post further added that Brown “remains at large” and encouraged anyone with information about his whereabouts to contact a tipline associated with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, which had paired with the U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the escape incident and track down the fugitives.
Escaped through a rooftop air vent
According to local NBC affiliate WCYB, the three convicts escaped from the Sullivan County jail early on Friday morning via an HVAC vent on the roof of the facility.
The inmates had been able to access that rooftop vent by way of the HVAC system’s ducting that ran above the ceiling of a shared cell.
The outlet noted that the escape resulted in certain public facilities in Sullivan County, such as a library and schools, being placed on lockdown and secured with locks and extra officers.
A convicted murderer, an armed thief, and a domestic abuser
WCYB further noted that of the three escapees, Carr was serving time for second-degree murder, vandalism, and tampering with evidence. The Examiner pointed out that Carr had been arrested in 2019 and tried for the murder of his wife.
Sarver, the other escaped convict confirmed as deceased alongside Carr, was being held for charges related to auto theft and unlawfully carrying a weapon.
The third man who is believed to still be a fugitive, Brown, had been imprisoned on charges that included domestic assault, harassment, a failure to appear for court, and a violation of a protective order. According to the sheriff, a $7,500 reward has been offered for information that leads to his arrest.
