Law enforcement officers search for escaped prisoners near Essex, N.Y., Tuesday, June 9, 2015. State and federal law officers searching for two killers who used power tools to break out of a maximum-security prison poured into a small town 30 miles away Tuesday after getting a report of a possible sighting. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
The New York prison escape that has grabbed national headlines this week seems to have a tangential connection to the Air Force.
Police are investigating whether Joyce Mitchell, a civilian prison supervisor who oversaw sewing operations at the prison, became involved with the two escapees and planned to, but didn’t, drive their getaway car.
A photo of Mitchell that news sites took from her Facebook page shows her wearing a shirt that says “Air Force Mom. I raised a Hero!” Next to her is a younger man with Airman First Class insignia.
NBC News on Wednesday interviewed Tobey Mitchell, whom the network identified as her son.
A personal website lists a “Tobias Mitchell” as an Airman First Class with the 158th Fighter Wing out of Burlington, Vermont, but Air Force Times could not independently verify if this is the same individual.
During the NBC News interview Mr. Mitchell defended his mother, saying there is an explanation if she is involved and wondering if the inmates made threats against the Mitchell family.
“She is not the kind of person that’s going to risk her life or other people’s lives to let these guys escape from prison,” Tobey Mitchell said.
The pair of convicted murderers, David Sweat and Richard Matt, escaped last week from Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York and are still on the loose.
