The jailer who escaped with an inmate in Alabama dies 0:50
(CNN) --
The nationwide search for a former Alabama jailer and the inmate she disappeared with ended Monday when Vicky White died after being hospitalized from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, authorities said.
Vicky White, 56, and Casey White, 38, were apprehended by authorities in Evansville, Indiana, after a car chase with authorities who tracked them down on a tip that came from the public Sunday, the sheriff of the Lauderdale County, Alabama, Rick Singleton.
It was one of hundreds of leads authorities tracked down in the 11 days after Vicky White helped Casey White escape from jail.
Vicky White, jailer who escaped with Alabama inmate, dies, sheriff says
Officers conducting surveillance saw Vicky White leaving a hotel wearing a wig, according to Sheriff Matt Keely.
She and Casey White then got into a car and drove away.
The authorities continued to monitor them until a car chase began, which ended when a member of the US Marshals task force collided with the Cadillac in which the couple was driving.
The car crashed and flipped, Keely said.
Casey White was driving the car, according to the US Marshals.
Officers were able to remove the inmate from the wrecked car, but Vicky White was pinned inside with a gunshot wound to the head, Keely said.
They disclose details about the relationship between prisoner and escaped agent 2:57
Casey White allegedly told authorities to help "his wife," who had shot herself in the head, and told them he didn't do it, according to Keely.
To the best of investigators' knowledge, Casey White and Vicky White were not married, Keely said, and investigators previously said they were not related.
The couple's capture ended a long manhunt that garnered widespread attention.
But for those close to Vicky White, who were waiting for an explanation of her unexpected disappearance and her motives, many questions remain unanswered.
As details emerged suggesting that Vicky White had planned to aid the escape of the inmate, with whom authorities believe she was having a romantic relationship, her family and colleagues were stunned.
On Monday, before Vicky White died, Singleton said that she and Casey White would be flown back to Alabama for an arraignment.
"She has some answers to give us," he said.
"What in the world caused her, prompted her to do a stunt like this, I don't know. I don't know if we'll ever know."
The clue led to his capture
The officer and inmate are believed to have been in Evansville since May 3, Vanderburgh County, Illinois, Sheriff Dave Wedding told CNN.
On Sunday night, investigators were informed that a 2006 Ford F-150 had been discovered at a car wash in Evansville, which is about 110 miles north of Williamson County, Tennessee, where it is believed to be. the couple abandoned a hit-and-run vehicle after abandoning Vicky White's patrol car near the jail.
Marshals traveled to Indiana to follow up on the tip, the service said.
Investigators on Monday released photos of a person they believe to be Casey White, caught on surveillance camera at the car wash.
Vicky White is not seen in the images.
Authorities released photos Monday afternoon of what they believe to be fugitive Casey White, caught on surveillance at an Indiana car wash.
The couple initially disappeared on April 29 when Vicky White said she was taking Casey White to court for a mental evaluation.
But they never made it to the courthouse, and authorities later discovered that they drove to a shopping center parking lot, abandoned the officer's squad car and escaped in a vehicle that Vicky White had prepared there the night before, according to authorities.
Casey White will be returned to Alabama, where he was facing murder charges before his escape and was already serving a 75-year sentence for other crimes.
Prior to her death, Vicky White was charged with allowing or facilitating a first-degree escape, as well as forgery and identity theft charges related to using an alias to purchase the 2007 Ford Edge in which the couple initially escaped. authorities said.
The veteran agent has been described by Singleton as "an exemplary employee" with an "unblemished record" who commanded the trust and respect of her colleagues.
As the investigation unfolded, the sheriff recognized that her apparent behavior is inconsistent with the person her colleagues thought they knew.
"Obviously there was a side to Vicky White that we weren't aware of," he previously told CNN.
The search for the jailer and the inmate was a challenge for the investigators
Vicky White's years of law enforcement experience presented law enforcement with unique challenges.
"This breakout was obviously well planned and calculated," Singleton said, noting that breakouts from county jails are often spontaneous.
"There was a lot of preparation. They had a lot of resources, cash, vehicles and everything they needed to do it, and that's what has made this last week and a half so difficult. We started from scratch, and not only that... They had a six-hour head start on us."
Vicky White had a "special relationship" with inmate Casey White.
These are other people who fell in love with prisoners
Investigators previously released video of Vicky White at a Quality Inn in Florence, Alabama, where they say she stayed the night before the escape.
Singleton also said they have footage of her shopping for men's clothing at a department store and an "adult store," adding that she "obviously had a change of clothes" for the inmate.
Before her disappearance, Vicky White filed her retirement papers, sold her home for well below market value and bought the car the couple would use to escape, authorities said.
The day of the disappearance was scheduled to be his last day of work, but his retirement papers were never finalized, according to Singleton.
The Lauderdale County Sheriff's Office announced last week that she was no longer employed there.
Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly, who said he worked with the officer almost daily for 17 years, told CNN last week that "I would have trusted her with my life."
"I'm very disappointed in her," he said.
"He trusted her and took advantage of that trust."
Counselors will be available at the Lauderdale County Detention Center for staff who may need them following Vicky White's death, according to Singleton.
"It's a small agency, like a family," he told CNN.
"Some of these younger helpers she was like a mother figure to them and I know they're going to take it hard."
Casey White will likely have to return to the detention center in the future for court hearings related to her murder charges.
Singleton said the inmate will be isolated in a cell.
"He's going to be chained and handcuffed, and when he walks out of that facility, I guarantee you there will be two officers with him," he said.
"And he's not getting out of this jail again. I don't want him to be here any longer than necessary."
CNN's Nadia Romero, Jamiel Lynch, Jenn Selva, Amara Walker and Jade Gordon contributed to this report.
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