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[h=4]Reports: Prison seamstress linked to escaped killers[/h]A prison seamstress allegedly linked to the daring escape by two killers from a New York state prison was hospitalized for a "panic attack" at the time they were escaping, according to media reports
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A married prison seamstress is now at the center of reports surrounding the escape of two killers from a New York state prison. CNN reports the 51-year-old was supposed to drive the getaway car. VPC
Convicted murderer Richard Matt, shown in an undated photo provided by New York State Police, escaped along with a fellow inmate, David Sweat, from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y., on Friday, June 5, or early June 6.(Photo: N.Y. State Police, Getty Images)
A married prison seamstress allegedly linked to the daring escape by two killers from a New York state prison was hospitalized for a "panic attack" at the time the pair climbed to freedom through a manhole, according to media reports.
Citing unidentified sources, CNN reported that 51-year-old Joyce "Tillie" Mitchell allegedly intended to be the men's getaway driver but got cold feet and failed to show up at a rendezvous point near the maximum security prison in the small upstate New York community of Dannemora.
At the time, she had checked herself into a hospital with a "case of the nerves," officials told NBC News.
Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 34, escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility Friday night or Saturday morning. Armed with cutting tools, possibly including torches, the pair broke through walls, crossed a catwalk and cut into a steam pipe, crawling to the outside through a manhole.
State police returned in large numbers to Dannemora on Wednesday for a house-to-house search, officials said, not because of a new lead but in hopes of finding clues they may have missed during their first search of the community, the Times-Union reports.
Mitchell, an industrial training supervisor in the tailoring department, apparently met Matt in the prison tailor shop, where she supervised inmates on projects, the New York Post reports.
She may have helped the convicts because "she thought there was something more between'' her and Matt, an unidentified source told the newspaper. "He's a con man,'' the source said of Matt.
Mitchell's son, Tobey Mitchell, confirmed to NBC News that his mother had gone to the hospital with severe chest pains around the time of the escape, but denied that she could have been tied to any escape plot.
"She's not the kind of person that's going to risk her life or other people's lives to let these guys escape from prison," he tells NBC.
Asked whether his mother might have been taken advantage of, he said: "When you are put into a situation where your family member is threatened or other family members might be threatened, or at risk, you do a lot of things that you wouldn't do, to just protect your family."
CNN, quoting a second source with knowledge of the investigation, reports that Mitchell's cell phone was allegedly used to call several people connected to Matt, although it's unclear who made the calls or when. Authorities are trying to determine whether Mitchell was aware her phone was being used, CNN reports.
Mitchell has been "somewhat cooperative" with authorities who have questioned several employees about the case, CNN reports. She has not been charged.
With the men on the loose, towns in the mountainous area of New York have been under tight security, with residents going through checkpoints daily even to take their kids to school.
The pair have been variously reported along a rural highway and walking through a resident's yard late at night.
State Police said the men, who were in adjoining cells, were counted as present Friday night but were missing at a 5:30 a.m. Saturday bed check.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who visited the prison to examine the escape route, said the men apparently stuffed clothing to make it appear they were in their beds to avoid the detection of correctional officers who check the cells every two hours during the night.
Matt was serving 25 years to life for kidnapping, dismembering and killing his former boss. Sweat was serving a life sentence without parole for killing a sheriff's deputy.
Lee Bates, who drove a car carrying one of Matt's victims, described his 1997 killing of the businessman in an attempt by Matt to get money.
"Torture is probably an understatement," Bates told CNN's Anderson Cooper. He said Matt shoved a knife sharpener in his victim's ear, broke his neck then dismembered the body.
While violent and ruthless, he's also capable of getting others to help him, Bates tells CNN.
"He can make friends easy. He's a master manipulator."
TWO MURDERERS ESCAPE UPSTATE N.Y. PRISONNY police say escaped inmates could be anywhere | 01:14New York law enforcement officials say they "are leaving no stone unturned" in the search for two convicted murderers who broke out of prison on Saturday. (June 7) AP
TWO MURDERERS ESCAPE UPSTATE N.Y. PRISONSearch continues for two New York prison escapees | 02:01Crime reporter weighs in on the massive manhunt for two murderers who escaped the Clinton Correctional Facility in upstate New York.
TWO MURDERERS ESCAPE UPSTATE N.Y. PRISONPrison escapees through history have been very creative | 01:57Take a look back at some of the most notable prison breaks throughout history, including the tools and creativity they used to make their escapes. VPC
TWO MURDERERS ESCAPE UPSTATE N.Y. PRISON'The Shawshank Redemption' brought to life? Not quite | 01:45Many on social media and the news are comparing the recent prison break in New York to the plot of "The Shawshank Redemption.' However, there are many fundamental differences when looking closer at the escape. Collin Brennan, USA TODAY, AP, Columbia Pictures
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