Warrant Issued For Officer Last Seen With Escaped Capital Murder Suspect

A warrant has been issued for the Alabama corrections officer who disappeared with an inmate last week.

Vicky White is now wanted on a charge of permitting or facilitating the escape of capital murder suspect Casey White after previously being reported "missing and endangered."

Casey White, 38, and Vicky White -- who are not related despite sharing a last name -- were last seen leaving Lauderdale County Jail at around 9:40 a.m. last Friday (April 29), supposedly to appear at a courthouse, but never arrived, the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office confirmed to NBC News.

"We know she participated" in his escape, Singleton said on Monday (May 2) via NBC News. "Whether she did that willingly or was coerced or threatened, we're not really sure, but we know for sure she did participate."

Vicky White had reportedly spoken about her upcoming retirement for months, as well as time she'd spend on the beach and had recently sold her house ahead of what was supposed to be her final day working as a Lauderdale County corrections officer last Friday.

"This is not the Vicky White we know by any stretch of the imagination," Singleton said. "Everybody thought she was going to retire."

"Nobody saw this coming," he added.

Singleton said the department is investigating all possibilities regarding the relationship of Vicky and Casey White, including a romantic involvement. Officials told NBC News that Vicky White was seen spending an inordinate amount of time near Casey White's cell in video surveillance.

On Sunday (May 1), the U.S. Marshals Service offered $10,000 for information leading to the capture of capital Casey White and the location of Vicky White, who was believed to be a possible hostage victim at the time.

“Casey White is believed to be a serious threat to the corrections officer and the public,” said U.S. Marshal Marty Keely.

White was previously charged with two counts of capital murder in relation to the stabbing of Connie Ridgeway, 58, in September 2020 and had already been incarcerated for several other crimes committed in 2015, which include home invasion, carjacking and a police chase, U.S. Marshals confirmed to NBC News.

White had confessed to the murder of Ridgeway and was awaiting trial at the Lauderdale County Jail prior to his escape on Friday, the agency confirmed.

White is described as 6'9 and approximately 260 lbs with brown hair and hazel eyes, according to U.S. Marshals.

Vicky and Casey White were reported to have left the detention center for a mental health evaluation at the court, however, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton confirmed no such evaluation was scheduled at the time.

Vicky White, an employee of 25 years, also told a booking officer that she was going to a medical appointment after dropping off Casey White because she wasn't feeling well, however, Singleton confirmed no appointment had been scheduled at the time.

Vicky White also transported the suspect alone, which is a strict violation of policy as two sworn deputies are needed to transport a suspect with the charges that Casey White is facing, according to the sheriff.

The marked 2013 Ford Taurus patrol car that the two were reported to be traveling in was later found at a shopping center, the sheriff confirmed to NBC News.

Officers realized the two were missing at around 3:30 p.m. last Friday after repeated calls to Vicki White's phone went straight to voicemail and it was confirmed that she'd never returned to the detention center either.

Vicky White is reported to have had a 9mm firearm, but it's unknown whether any other weapons were present in the patrol vehicle at the time of the disappearance.

The sheriff said investigators were looking for any surveillance footage at the shopping center where the vehicle was located.