Police searching for escaped convicts Richard Matt and David Sweat urged anyone with a hunting cabin or a trail camera in the Adirondack Mountains near the prison in upstate New York to check on it.
But in doing so, they urged extreme caution as a hunter checking on his cabin over the weekend may have startled one of the escapees who sought refuge.
Most hunting cabins are only used during the fall and offer an ideal hiding spot for the two escaped cons. When a hunter went to check on his cabin in the Owls Head/ Mountain View area roughly 20 miles from the Clinton Correctional in Dannemora, he saw a man fleeing out the back.
Law enforcement officers reported that a DNA matching both escapees were present on items at the camp, and a pair of prison-issued underwear was found.
Major Charles Guess during a press conference Monday urged anyone with a hunting cabin in the area to be on high alert when checking the premises. If anything is out of the ordinary he said to “call 911.”
Beth Bellinger who owns a restaurant with her husband off Wolf Pond Road, where the hunting camp is located, said cabins are typically abandoned for most of the year.
“These cabins are seasonal,” she told the Buffalo News. “People go in after a winter and check on camps to make sure there’s no damage. They do open them up occasionally through the summer.”
“This would be a great opportunity for these guys,” she told the paper, pointing out that mosquitoes and deer fly can be unbearable this time of year. “At least you get out of being outside.”
