TUCSON, AZ — A manhunt is underway for an Arizona couple who escaped police custody Monday in Blanding, Utah, while they were being transported from New York to Pima County, Arizona, to face charges in the April murder of 72-year-old Frank Bligh in Tucson.
The couple — 59-year-old Susan Barksdale and 56-year-old Blane Barksdale — were last seen behind the wheel of a red GMC Sierra pickup truck bearing Arizona license plate No. 127 XTY. Police said the pickup has rear-bumper and front-passenger-side damage. Blane Barksdale has several arm and hand tattoos.
Click Here: cheap Cowboys jersey
Authorities said the couple are believed to be armed and dangerous, and anyone who spots or has information about them should refrain from confronting them. Instead, they should call 911 or 88-CRIME.
It’s unclear what direction they’re heading, though “investigators have information that they are possibly traveling through Arizona,” Tucson police said in a statement.
It’s unclear how the couple were able to overpower the security guards and take possession of the pickup truck.
The security guards are employed by Kansas-based Security Transport Systems, which was hired by the Pima County Sheriff’s Office to transport inmates, Reuters reported.
In Pima County, the Barksdales face charges of first-degree murder, burglary, arson, felony criminal damage and auto theft. They were arrested without incident in Henrietta, New York, on May 24 after authorities found them in an RV.
Bligh’s home in Tucson was intentionally set on fire on April 16 about a week after he was last seen at the Cowpony bar in Tucson, police said. His body wasn’t inside the home, prompting a missing persons investigation. Though Bligh’s body was never found, police said he is presumed dead.
The Barksdales were later identified as suspects in his disappearance, and on May 1, police issued a warrant for their arrest on the pending charges.
The Barksdales’ nephew, Brent Mallard, was arrested in Maricopa County in May in connection with the arson fire, and he is in custody in Pima County, facing charges of arson, second-degree burglary and other felony charges, news station KVOA reported.
The U.S. Marshals Service, FBI and Apache County Sheriff’s Office are assisting Tucson police in the search for the Barksdales.