The former corrections officer accused of assisting in the escape of a capital murder suspect in Alabama last week has died after a police chase ended in a car crash in Indiana, police said.
Vicky White, the 56-year-old ex-officer, was pronounced dead hours after she led police on a chase, according to Steve Lockyear, the Vanderburgh County Coroner.
After the crash, 38-year-old Casey White, the murder suspect who Vicky White allegedly helped escape from jail last week, surrendered to police, Lauderdale County Sheriff Rick Singleton told reporters.
Casey White, who is not related to the former corrections officer, got out of the car after the crash begging for authorities to help his "wife," the U.S. Marshals Service said.
"Please help my wife," Casey White said. "She just shot herself in the head, and I didn't do it."
Singleton said that investigators "won't rule anything out until we have a thorough investigation by the coroner," but it is believed Vicky White shot herself.
Lockyear shared that an autopsy is scheduled for Tuesday, but the results have not been released yet.
The car chase with police began after Casey White was seen at a carwash in Evansville, Indiana. The owner of the wash sent the surveillance footage to the authorities, who quickly acted.
In September 2020, Casey White was charged with capital murder when he stabbed a 58-year-old woman. However, before he was charged, he was already in jail for several crimes committed in 2015, including home invasion, carjacking, and a police chase, the U.S. Marshals Service reported.
After the crash, Vicky White was taken to an Evansville hospital, where she was pronounced dead at around 7 p.m.
Casey White is now back in custody, marking the end of his 12-day vacation from jail.
"This has ended a very long, stressful, challenging week and a half," Singleton said.
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