The two inmates who escaped from the Sumter County Jail in Americus, Georgia, were in custody on charges that included murder, according to the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and Sheriff Eric Bryant. Bryant said the escape occurred around 9:30 p.m. Sunday night.
Bryant said it appeared the inmates got out through a maintenance door on the ceiling of the jail building that was not properly locked. He said they then moved through HVAC ductwork to reach the outside.
Officials were still working to figure out where Ricky Martin and Kentravious Holmes went after escaping, Bryant said. He also said investigators had contacted the families of both inmates.
The escape comes after other jail breakouts in the broader region. The Associated Press reported that in December, three inmates including a murder suspect escaped from a jail east of Atlanta, attacked a Lyft driver by shoving her into the backseat, and drove her car to south Florida before being captured. The AP also reported that four men escaped a central Georgia jail in 2023.
Authorities in Sumter County did not provide additional details about the search areas or possible routes the escapees used.