3 Inmates Escape Missouri Prison Through Ceiling, 2 Wanted for Murder
Police have started a frantic search for two murder suspects and an additional prison inmate who escaped from a Missouri prison Monday afternoon.
The escape occurred sometime Monday at around 11:30 p.m., according to officials in St. Louis. Because two of the men have a violent history, concern has been raised that the men will find weapons.
The escape occurred at the Butler County Jail in Poplar Bluff.
"With the severity of their crimes they were being held for, we do believe it's possible they may have the capability to get their hands on weapons," Frank Casteel, 911 director for Butler County, told the Associated Press.
The first murder suspect, Matthew Brandon Cook, was arrested and charged with murder in February for his role in the shooting death of Sean Crow in Bloomfield, Missouri. Cook, 29, is accused of using a text message to lure Crow into a McDonald's parking lot. Cook shot Crow once in the head, and Crow was found slumped over in his car the next morning.
The second murder suspect, Kade Reaves Stringfellow, stands accused of second-degree murder in the death of his infant son. The boy, Karson Stringfellow, suffered injuries that included fractured ribs and bleeding in the brains and eyes.
The third suspect, Rodney Joe Green, was charged with a violent home burglary in Butler County.
Police say they consider the men armed and dangerous.
The men's escape has been blamed on the jail's design. All three prisoners allegedly escaped by exiting through the ceiling and crawling through the ductwork.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Butler County sheriff's department at 573-785-8444.
