Former Alabama corrections officer Vicky White has died from injuries after she and escaped inmate Casey White were arrested in Indiana earlier Monday, Sheriff Dave Wedding of Vanderburgh County said.
She was hospitalized earlier with self-inflicted gunshot wounds after being taken into custody following a car chase in Evansville, Indiana, US Marshals previously said. Her wounds were "very serious," Wedding said at the time.
No law enforcement officers fired shots, according to Sheriff Rick Singleton of Lauderdale County, Alabama, where the pair -- who are not related -- fled on April 29.
Before the chase ensued, officers conducting surveillance spotted Vicky White exiting a hotel with a wig on, according to US Marshal Matt Keely. Then, she and Casey White got into a car and drove away.
Authorities continued to watch them until a vehicle pursuit began, ending when a US Marshals task force member drove a vehicle into the Cadillac the pair were in. The car wrecked and rolled over, he said. Casey White was driving the car, according to the US Marshals, though Wedding had earlier told reporters Vicky White was the driver.
Officers were able to remove the inmate from the wrecked car, but Vicky White was pinned inside with a gunshot wound to her head, Keely said.
Casey White reportedly told officers to help "his wife" who had shot herself in the head, according to Keely, and told them he didn't do it. Keely said to their knowledge Casey White and Vicky White are not married.
The pair's capture brought to a close an 11-day manhunt that gained widespread national attention and saw hundreds of tips flood in from all corners of the country, including one that ultimately lead to the location and arrest of the fugitives.
That tip came Sunday night, Singleton said.
Wedding said the duo were believed to have been in Evansville since May 3. "It's hard to believe they've been here that many days, but we're lucky that we stumbled upon them today," he said.
Singleton said Casey White, 38, will be brought back to Alabama. The inmate faces previous murder charges. Vicky White, 56, was first charged with permitting or facilitating escape in the first degree and was later facing additional forgery and identity theft charges.
"He will be in a cell by himself," Singleton said. "He will stay in handcuffs and shackles while he's in that cell and if he wants to sue me for violating his civil rights, so be it. He's not getting out of this jail again. I'll assure you that."
Singleton said, "I've always expected this outcome. I knew we would catch them. It was just a matter of time."
Most escapes from a county jail are spontaneous, he said.
"This escape was obviously well planned and calculated," Singleton said. "A lot of preparation went into this. They had plenty of resources, had cash, had vehicles, had everything they needed to pull this off, and that's what made this last week and a half so challenging. We were starting from ground zero, and not only that, we started -- they got a six-hour head start on us."
