WARREN, Pa. — For the sixth day in a row, still no Michael Burham and still no answer to where he might be.
However, state authorities are urging the public on Wednesday that they are making progress.
“I personally believe we are on the right track here,” said George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police. “We will follow any lead anywhere.”
Authorities have recently received additional information to make them believe Burham is now armed.
Investigators also said that they have now learned that a drone may have been in the air above the prison the night Burham escaped and are now drawing a possible connection between the operator of that drone and a still-unknown accomplice of the fugitive.
“I’m not a big believer in coincidences,” Bivens said. “It could be that there was a perfectly innocent and reasonable explanation. It could also be that it was somehow connected to his escape. And we intend to find out more about that.”
Meanwhile, new details emerged surrounding the origins of Burham’s escape.
The County Commissioner revealed the staff was not aware of a broken fence in the rooftop prison yard that Burham escaped from and that once the guards saw it on camera and signaled an alarm, it was too late.
“The idea that our staff from within the facility were able to get out run around to the other side of the facility or even be able to respond quickly enough to grab him before he got away is just not logistically possible,” said Warren County Commissioner Jeff Eggleston.
However, the prison board also urged residents that someone will be held accountable, even if it is one of their own, announcing that they are conducting an investigation to determine if any charges will be brought.
“I’m so sorry for the sleepless nights and the cloud of uncertainty that it has yet to give away to answer,” said Warren County Board of Commissioners Vice Chair Benjamin Kafferlin.
But still one man continues to leave an entire community living in fear and 200 law enforcement agents working around the clock to find him.
“We've continued a very aggressive search,” Bivens said. “We've cleared a lot of areas. We continue to follow up on every single tip or lead that comes in, and I think with every one of those, I truly believe we get closer and closer to capturing him.”