Both the Plattsburgh Press-Republican and The New York Post are reporting that items found in a burglarized hunting camp 25 miles west of the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York have been tested and contain the DNA of two killers who escaped on June 5.
According to the Press-Republican:
Police have confirmed that DNA evidence proves two escaped killers are in the Mountain View area, sources tell the Press-Republican, and searchers are closing in on them.
A break-in and sighting of a man Saturday at a remote hunting camp prompted police to begin searching in and around Mountain View, near Malone.
The small community is located about 20 to 25 miles from Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, from which Richard Matt, 48, and David Sweat, 35, escaped on June 6, launching a massive manhunt that has had area residents living on edge for 17 days. . .
Boots, bloody socks and toiletries were found, along with a water jug and jar of peanut butter that had been opened at the camp.”
Officials with the New York State Police were reticent to provide more information officially, but unofficially some law enforcement personnel involved in the search were optimistic. As the Press-Republican reported:
At a news conference on Monday, State Police Troop B Commander Major Charles Guess would say only that authorities have “developed evidence” that escapees may have spent time in an Owls Head area cabin.
Law-enforcement officials who were not authorized to speak on the record said the net is closing in on Matt and Sweat.
“The dogs have got a good track, and we are tightening the perimeter,” one official told the Press-Republican, “so within the next 24 to 48 hours, we’re confident they will be caught.”
Monday afternoon, The New York Post added more information on the details of the items found in the cabin. According to The Post, “Cops hunting two escaped killers found prison-issue underwear and fingerprints from at least one fugitive inside a cabin that’s owned by several correction officers.”
The Post also reported:
DNA tied to convicted murderers David Sweat and Richard Matt was detected at the remote hunting camp in Mountain View, N.Y. — about 20 miles from the Dannemora prison.
Testing of the genetic material reportedly showed it was left behind within 24 hours of its Saturday discovery.
Residents told mychamplainvalley.com that they learned about the clothing and fingerprint evidence from some of the hundreds of law-enforcement personnel flooding the area in search of Sweat and Matt.
The Plattsburgh Press-Republican reported the cabin is owned by a group of correction officers.
Sources also told the paper that boots, bloody socks and toiletries were found in the cabin, where the owner reportedly saw a stranger run away when he went to check on the place Saturday.
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