New Orleans jail escapee seen in new social media post declaring his innocence
Authorities announced Thursday they are investigating another social media post, the , showing a man who identifies himself as Antoine Massey, a fugitive still on the lam after escaping three weeks ago from a New Orleans jail.
The latest Instagram post, which appears to have been published Wednesday, shows a man standing in front of a blue car who says he is "#AntoineMassey" and has the same distinctive facial tattoos. Massey faces kidnapping and rape charges.
Authorities are not sure when or where the photo reportedly showing Massey was taken. But they "are treating the post as if it's real," a senior law enforcement official said. The official spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the official was not authorized to publicly discuss the ongoing investigation into the May 16 escape by 10 inmates.
The group yanked up a faulty cell door, crawled through a hole in a wall behind a toilet where steel bars had been cut and then scaled a barbed wire fence using blankets for protection. It was one of the largest jailbreaks in recent U.S. history. Since then, multiple friends and family members have been arrested, accused of helping the inmates escape. A maintenance worker at the jail was also arrested, though he told investigators he was threatened by one of the inmates who took part in the jailbreak, according to court documents.
State and local officials have heaped criticism on the management of Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, who has largely blamed the jailbreak on poor infrastructure and the inability to make needed improvements at the 10-year-old $150 million facility.
Eight of the escaped men have been apprehended, while Massey and another fugitive, convicted murderer Derrick Groves, remain on the run. Groves is the grandson of Kim Groves, whose 1994 murder by a New Orleans police officer drew national attention, .
In the Instagram post, the person claiming to be Massey states he is "innocent." Massey, 32, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, domestic battery involving strangulation and motor vehicle theft.
"We would encourage Mr. Massey to turn himself in and go through proper legal channels for his day in court," said Deputy U.S. Marshal Brian Fair in an emailed statement. He added it was "unknown at this time" if Massey posted the photo or when it was taken.
Earlier this week, other videos made by Massey surfaced on social media, leading authorities to raid a New Orleans home a little over 2 miles from the jail, where they believed the videos were produced. But they said they only found some of the clothing they believed he wore in the videos.
Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry urged Massey and Groves on Tuesday to "quit the hide-and-seek game" and turn themselves in.
Officials raised the reward to $50,000 per fugitive, and some family members have called in tips.
, the mother of Lenton Vanburen, one of 10 men who escaped from the jail and were recaptured days later.
"Of course I don't condone him, you know, breaking out of jail ... at the end of the day, he's still my child," she told the station.
