Authorities in New Orleans are conducting an urgent manhunt after ten inmates escaped from the Orleans Justice Center early Friday morning. The fugitives, including individuals charged with second-degree murder, fled through a hole behind a toilet in their cell, raising serious concerns about security breaches within the facility.
According to the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office, the escape occurred around 12:22 a.m. when the inmates tampered with a cell door before slipping through the compromised wall. Surveillance footage revealed that the group exited through a loading dock, scaled a barbed-wire fence using blankets, and fled toward nearby railroad tracks and Interstate.
Three of the escapees have since been captured, including Kendell Myles, who was found hiding under a vehicle in a French Quarter hotel garage. Robert Moody and Dkenan Dennis were also apprehended in separate locations. However, eight inmates remain at large, including four charged with second-degree murder: Corey Boyd, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, and Derrick Groves.
Sheriff Susan Hutson confirmed that the escape was not discovered until a routine headcount at 8:30 a.m., nearly seven hours after the inmates fled. Officials suspect that the jailbreak may have been aided by someone within the facility, as faulty cell locks are believed to have contributed to the breach