By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News
LAS ANIMAS, Colo. — A search is underway in Colorado and beyond for a “dangerous” man who escaped jail alongside three other inmates, including one who is now dead.
Mark Fox, 46, remained on the run Wednesday, days after he broke out of Bent County Jail with his fellow inmates, according to KOAA.
Two of the escapees were recaptured and returned to the detention facility early Tuesday while a third, 34-year-old Benjamin Valdez, was found dead of a suspected drug overdose in nearby Pueblo County, according to authorities.
Bent County Sheriff Jake Six said the group escaped by forcing their way through drywall in the ceiling of a cell, which used to serve as the jail’s kitchen. They then bunched up bundles of clothing and arranged them on their beds to make it seem like they were present for the inmate head count.
Authorities are not exactly sure when they fled from the facility, but Six said it was likely either late Sunday or early Monday.
The two inmates who have been recaptured have not been identified. They were taken into custody when they called for an ambulance for an overdose on Tuesday. Six noted it was not for Valdez as he likely died on Monday.
Fox is described as a bald white man, standing at 6 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing 210 pounds. Authorities stopped short of providing a clothing description, noting that he has likely changed since the escape.
The Bent County Jail, located in Las Animas, is approximately 200 miles southeast of Denver. The sheriff’s office is working with the Colorado State Patrol and the Otero County Sheriff’s Office in their search for Fox, it said.
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