Reminiscent of the iconic escape scene in the 1994 film “The Shawshank Redemption,” a group of 10 inmates engineered their flight to freedom on May 16 by crawling through an opening behind a toilet fixture in the Orleans Parish detention facility.
While authorities have successfully apprehended four of the fugitives, six remain at large and unaccounted for.
The escaped prisoners represent a broad age spectrum from 19 to 42 years old, with criminal backgrounds including serious offenses such as aggravated assault, domestic abuse battery, and murder charges.
As scrutiny intensified around security protocols at the facility, Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson acknowledged that “defective locks” contributed significantly to the breach. Her office had reportedly requested funding to address these malfunctioning security mechanisms mere days before the incident occurred.
Hutson further suggested possible inside assistance in the escape plan, stating: “It’s almost impossible, not completely, but almost impossible for anybody to get out of this facility without help.”
In a brazen display of confidence, the escapees left behind a taunting three-word message scrawled above their exit point reading: “To [sic] Easy LoL.”
Security recordings documented the inmates’ hasty departure from the facility as they dashed across prison grounds and scaled a perimeter fence, utilizing blankets as protective barriers against the razor wire positioned along the top.
Initially, the FBI distributed a statement indicating it had “surged resources to assist with apprehending inmates who escaped from the Orleans Parish Jail on May 16, 2025.”
The federal agency originally offered financial compensation of up to $5,000 for information leading to arrests, but as the majority of escapees continue to evade law enforcement, this bounty has been substantially increased.
FBI Special Agent Jonathan Trapp has announced an enhanced reward structure now offering $10,000 per fugitive—complementing additional monetary incentives from other organizations.
CrimeStoppers has raised its own reward offering to $5,000, up from its previous $2,000 amount, while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is matching with an additional $5,000 reward.
Authorities have identified the ten original escapees as Dkenan Dennis, Gary C. Price, Robert Moody, Kendell Myles, Corey E. Boyd, Lenton J. VanBuren Jr., Jermaine Donald, Antoine T. Massey, Derrick D. Groves, and Leo O. Tate Sr.
Myles was among the first recaptured, apprehended by Louisiana State Police officers in New Orleans’ historic French Quarter district.
Law enforcement has also successfully located and detained Moody, 21, and Dennis, 24, who were transported via helicopter to a state correctional institution situated outside the New Orleans metropolitan area following their capture.
In the most recent development, Price was located by authorities and returned to custody this past Monday (May 19).