A slew of new information has been uncovered regarding a romantic relationship between Vicky White, an Alabama corrections officer, and the inmate who she helped break out of jail. Vicky and alleged murderer Casey Cole White (no relation) have now been on the run together for seven days.
The U.S. Marshals Service is offering a US$10,000 reward for any information that leads to Casey’s capture, along with an additional US$5,000 reward for information leading to Vicky’s arrest. She’s facing first-degree charges of permitting or facilitating escape.
The Marshals are taking “appropriate protective actions” to guard Casey’s ex-girlfriend and her sister from the violent offender.
In 2015, Casey went on a violent crime spree including attempted murder, home invasion and a police chase. During pre-sentence reporting for those crimes, Casey said that if he ever got out of jail he would kill his ex-girlfriend and her sister. He also said that he wanted to be killed by police.
The woman Casey attempted to kill in 2015 — and whose family home he invaded — has spoken out about fears that the escaped inmate will try to track her down as well. The unnamed woman spoke with ABC affiliate WAAY 31, saying that she and her family are in hiding.
She has a message for Vicky: “If she is still alive, (she needs to) get the hell out. Run. Run as far as you can, and turn yourself in, and contact somebody. Like, do the right thing before you lose your life or somebody else does.”
Vicky’s mother Pat Davis is also calling for her daughter to turn herself in.
“We want her home. We’ll go pick her up if she’ll just call and tell us (to) come and get her. We’ll go pick her up,” she pleaded during an interview with WAAY 31.
Davis was shocked to hear about her daughter’s disappearance and said that she never mentioned Casey — though investigators have revealed that Vicky’s relationship with him may go all the way back to 2020.
Timeline of the relationship
Casey was first brought to the Lauderdale County Detention Centre, Vicky’s workplace from which he later escaped, in 2020 for a murder charge arraignment. In 2015, Casey allegedly stabbed Connie Ridgeway, 58, to death.
“As far as we know that was the earliest physical contact they had,” Sheriff Rick Singleton told CNN.
During his time there, authorities found a homemade knife on Casey and discovered that he was planning an escape.
After his arraignment ended, Casey was returned to state prison to continue his 75-year sentence for prior crimes. Vicky and Casey kept up communication and she even visited him in prison in her free time.
In February 2022, Casey was brought back to Lauderdale County to attend hearings for his murder trial.
Authorities interviewed other inmates of the jail and found that Casey “was getting extra food on his trays” and “was getting privileges no one else got. And this was all coming from her,” Singleton said.
Through their investigation, Singleton confirmed that a romantic relationship did exist between the prison officer and inmate.
In the days leading up to Casey’s prison break, Vicky sold her home for US$95,550 — well below its reported market value of US$204,700.
She told coworkers that she was going to retire to the beach and Friday, the day of the escape, was meant to be her last day at work.
The escape began when Vicky asked another corrections officer to prepare Casey for transport for a bogus mental evaluation at the courthouse. She said she would escort the inmate herself, as all other certified officers were unavailable.
Lauderdale County has a policy mandating that at least two deputies must accompany inmates during transport. This policy was reiterated for Casey especially because of his earlier plot to escape in 2020.
Security footage shows Vicky holding the door open for a shackled and handcuffed Casey as they exit the jail alone and drive off in a patrol cruiser.
Newly released footage shows the pair driving through an intersection on their way to ditch the cruiser at a nearby shopping mall parking lot. The cruiser can be seen in the last several seconds of the video on the road behind a gas station.
“We know that there was never any effort to go to the courthouse. They went straight to Florence Square parking lot, dumped the patrol car, got in the other vehicle and left,” Singleton said.
Authorities accidentally revealed to the public that the fugitives later drove off in a copper-coloured Ford Edge SUV. This information was intended to only be shared amongst law enforcement.
“We put the word out to law enforcement to be on the lookout and inadvertently one of those agencies sent the description out publicly. That really set us back,” said Singleton.
Because this description was shared widely, Singleton believes that the pair has likely caught wind of it already and ditched the car.
The Marshals tweeted a bulletin that shows what the height differentiation looks like between the six feet nine inches tall Casey and five feet five inches tall Vicky.
Officials say the pair is armed and extremely dangerous. They may have an AR-15 rifle, handguns and a shotgun in their possession.
According to Singleton, a number of tips have come in regarding the fugitives’ whereabouts but he acknowledged that authorities still “do not have any clue where they’re at.”