REVEALED: How ‘dangerous self-taught’ survivalist Michael Burham used sheets to abseil from Pennsylvania prison – as authorities investigate if he had inside help escaping
- Burham escaped from the Warren County Jail near Lake Erie last Thursday
- He is wanted on charges including rape, murder, arson and kidnapping
“Dangerous,” self-taught survivalist Michael Burham used sheets to abseil from the Pennsylvania prison, where he was held last week on murder and rape charges, after using a pull-up machine to access the building’s roof.
Burham, 34, has been on the run since last Thursday when he escaped from The Warren County. The prison is located in a remote part of the state just 70 miles southeast of Lake Erie, next to the Allegheny National Forest.
Some 150 law enforcement officers are searching for Burham, who was detained on a slew of charges and is the prime suspect in the shooting death of a woman in May.
Earlier this week, detectives found mini-camps near the prison where they believed he could have stayed.
Now the Pennsylvania State Police is investigating whether or not Burham received help from someone working at the prison.
Burham has an extensive military background and spent more than 10 years in the Army Reserve serving as a water treatment specialist.
Michael Burham escaped from the Warren County Jail in Pennsylvania last Thursday
The criminal rappelled down this building using sheets tied together, as pictured, after hoisting himself onto a roof by climbing onto a pull-up machine
The prison is located in a remote part of the state just 70 miles southeast of Lake Erie, next to the Allegheny National Forest
Fox News cites military sources as saying that although he never deployed, he sought additional firearms training while on the reservation.
Authorities say he is a “self-trained survivalist” who could now be hiding in the Allegheny National Forest – which covers more than half a million acres of rural Pennsylvania on the New York border.
District Attorney Jason Schmidt of Chautauqua County, New York, said last month that Burham is the prime suspect in the May 11 murder of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin and a related arson attack in Jamestown, New York.
At the time of her death, he was wanted on a separate charge of raping her.
After allegedly shooting her to death, he went on the run for two weeks and hijacked an elderly couple’s car.
Burham was arrested in May after two weeks on the run. He was wanted on charges of rape and murder, among other things
Authorities say he may be best identified by his trademark Tiger tattoos
He was finally arrested and taken into custody on May 24.
Burham is ‘prime suspect’ in May shooting of 34-year-old Kala Hodgkin
The young mother was found dead in her home after a 911 call reported shots fired.
Authorities also accuse him of abducting an elderly couple in Pennsylvania as he attempted to evade arrest in South Carolina.
Warren city police said Burham is “considered very dangerous” but leaves “breadcrumbs” in his wake that help authorities.
“They’re chasing a ghost now. But he drops breadcrumbs. That’s a good thing – those are mistakes on his behalf.
“He could be a survivalist, but so are the US Marshals. Once that noose starts to tighten and they make that mistake, it’s all over,” Lenny DePaul, a retired commander of the US Marshals Service, told The New York Post.
The US Marshals Service is offering a reward of up to $7,500 for information leading to Burham’s arrest. Warren County Crime Stoppers is offering an additional $2,000.
Warren County police fear Burham “might get help” from someone
Local, multi-state and federal detectives are taking to the ground and air to search for the alleged killer