Law enforcement officers in Alabama are now conducting a statewide search for a missing inmate and jail official after the two suddenly went missing over the weekend. The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a $10,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of the two.
The current whereabouts of Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County jail, and inmate Casey White, are still unknown. Officials said the two, who were not related, left the jail on Friday.
Vicky reportedly said she was taking Casey to the county courthouse. She told her colleagues at the jail that she was going to visit a doctor later that day after she dropped off the inmate at the courthouse. It was later discovered that there wasn't any scheduled court hearing for Casey that day, and Vicky never met with her doctor.
Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton said they were unable to reach Vicky's phone after they found out that the two never returned to the jail. Investigators said they had yet to determine how the two disappeared or if Vicky had helped Casey escape.
Singleton said they are assuming that Vicky may be in danger given Casey's history. Casey had been charged with murder and is considered to be dangerous. Singleton added that until they have absolute proof that Vicky had helped Casey escape, they will assume that Vicky was taken against her will and is now in danger.
According to the sheriff, Vicky White's 2013 Ford Taurus patrol car was spotted at a shopping center parking lot on Friday morning. Singleton's office has reviewed all video surveillance footage in the area where the car was discovered, but no proof of the two getting into another vehicle has been found.
Vicky handles all transportation from the detention center to the court, so she was aware that the procedure required two sworn deputies to be present at all times with Casey as he was charged with capital murder.
Casey is serving a 75-year sentence for committing a series of offenses in Limestone County, including a home invasion, carjacking, and a police pursuit. Casey confessed to the 2015 murder of a woman in Rogersville, Alabama, in 2020.
Officials said Casey had planned to escape and kidnap a jail officer in 2020, but his plot was uncovered, and regulation was implemented requiring two sworn deputies to accompany him at all times, even during transit to court. Vicky was armed with a 9mm handgun, which police assume is now in Casey's possession. Police warned residents against approaching Casey as he may be armed.