A bag found wrapped in a tarp and hidden under a log was packed with basic everyday items and supplies likely used Michael Burham, an inmate and self-described survivalist who escaped Warren County Jail just over a week ago.
“It contains clothing, some food and some other materials that someone might need if they were trying to exist in the woods,” State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens. “We do believe that this one was his.”
During a press conference on Thursday, Bivens also showed a photo of the stash found in a wooded area in Warren County. Authorities did not pinpoint where exactly the camo-print bag was located, but urged members of the community to be on the lookout for similar caches.
Bivens noted no weapons were found “in this particular bag,” and that state police were testing the items found inside. He said that authorities were confident Burham remained in the area, adding that some portions of Allegheny National Forest, located south of Warren, have been closed to the public.
Burham, a former military reservist, has been on the run since July 6, when he escaped the Warren County Jail through a hole in the gated covering of the outdoor exercise room. He was being held at the facility, not far from the state’s border with New York, on arson and burglary charges. He is also a suspect in a homicide and rape case in Jamestown, N.Y., according to local authorities.
In the days since, more than 200 officers from 15 federal, state and local agencies have joined the intense search.
Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston, who viewed video of the escape, told ABC News that Burham “looked like a spider” as he wriggled over workout equipment in the recreation room atop the prison. Three other inmates were with him at the time, all of whom were being supervised by jail staff via camera.
The clip then shows Burham squeezing through a hole and breaching a second chain-link fence barrier over the jail’s roof. Eggleston said he got away by using bed sheets tied together to rappel to the ground.
He estimated the entire escape attempt took around 10 seconds.
“The fundamental problem is that there was a structural weakness in the cage on the roof. That’s it,” Eggleston told ABC News. “As far as the facility goes, if that hadn’t been the case, you wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
The reward for information leading to Burham’s capture is $22,000.
