On day 14 of an ongoing multi-state manhunt, top law enforcement officials doubled the reward for information that leads to the arrests of the two remaining inmates who escaped from the New Orleans lockup.
The FBI and Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans each raised their offers to $20,000, and the ATF boosted its payout to $10,000 — bringing the total to $50,000.
Nearly 700 leads have poured in since 10 inmates broke out of the Orleans Justice Center on May 16, according to Crimestoppers president Darlene Cusanza. Those tips have led to three of the 8 inmate arrests as of late Thursday, she said, one occurring within a half-hour of the call.
But two fugitives remain on the run: Derrick Groves, who was convicted of multiple homicides, and Antoine Massey, who has a history of prior escapes and faces charges including kidnapping and rape.
"With the increase in the reward amount today, we're going to get more tips," said State Police Superintendent Col. Robert Hodges. "Which means we're going to close in faster."
Antoine Massey and Derrick Groves
Hodges expressed confidence that the remaining two escapees would be apprehended "soon" and suspects neither has the means to cross international borders.
"They're tired. They're looking over their shoulder," he said at a press briefing at the Benson Tower. "They're running out of resources."
Surrounded by top officials from the FBI, ATF and other agencies, Hodges described the cat-and-mouse game unfolding between inmates and authorities.
"As soon as we get one lead, then they relocate to another place, whether that's a home or business or a public area," Hodges said.
For example, one of the escapees, Lenton Vanburen Jr., allegedly traveled from the jail on May 16 to a Village de l'Est apartment, where he crashed for several days, showered and changed clothes, according to police reports. Relatives then allegedly took him to a family member's home in Magnolia, Mississippi, court documents say. He was eventually captured in a Baton Rouge shopping center Monday thanks to an anonymous tip from "a concerned citizen," the Baton Rouge Police Department said.
"They move, and they change, so the information you call and provide is only good for a short amount of time," Hodges said. "Therefore, we need additional leads to help the public."
Anyone with information about the escaped inmates should contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or via fbi.gov/neworleansfugitives, Crimestoppers at (504) 822-1111 or via CrimestoppersGNO.org, or the Louisiana State Police Fusion Center at (225) 925-4192.
