In the early hours of May 16, 2025, the city of New Orleans was rocked by a brazen jailbreak that sent ten inmates, some facing charges as severe as second-degree murder, fleeing into the night. The escape from the Orleans Parish Justice Center, a facility long plagued by security concerns, has left the community on edge, with law enforcement scrambling to recapture the fugitives. Now, as the manhunt enters its sixth day, two women—Corvanntay Baptiste, 38, of Slidell, and Cortnie Harris, 32, of New Orleans—have been arrested for allegedly aiding the escapees, deepening the scandal surrounding the incident. Their arrests, alongside that of a jail maintenance worker, reveal a troubling web of complicity that has raised serious questions about the integrity of the facility’s operations.
The escape unfolded with chilling precision. Around 1 a.m., the ten inmates exploited a critical vulnerability in their cell block. They pried a toilet and sink unit from the wall, revealing a hole they had carved through the concrete, likely with a tool that should have been inaccessible. Surveillance footage captured the men, clad in a mix of orange and gray jail uniforms, sprinting through a loading dock, scaling a perimeter wall with blankets to shield themselves from barbed wire, and crossing Interstate 10 before vanishing into the city. A mocking message scrawled near the hole read, “To Easy LoL,” underscoring the audacity of their breakout and the apparent ease with which they exploited the jail’s weaknesses.
By Wednesday afternoon, authorities had recaptured five of the escapees: Corey Boyd, 19; Kendell Myles, 20; Robert Moody; Gary Price, 21; and Dkenan Dennis. Boyd, facing charges of second-degree murder and attempted murder, was apprehended Tuesday after a tip led police to a New Orleans residence. Myles, caught in the French Quarter hours after the escape, had a history of fleeing custody, including a 2022 carjacking incident. Moody, Price, and Dennis, facing charges ranging from armed robbery to weapons violations, were also returned to custody, each now facing additional charges of simple escape. The five still at large—Antoine Massey, Lenton Vanburen, Jermaine Donald, Leo Tate, and Derrick Groves—are considered armed and dangerous, with charges including murder, armed robbery, and domestic abuse. The FBI, alongside the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Crimestoppers, is offering up to $20,000 per fugitive for information leading to their capture, signaling the urgency of the manhunt.
The arrests of Baptiste and Harris have added a new layer of complexity to the investigation. Louisiana State Police allege that Harris communicated by phone with one of the escapees before and after the breakout, providing transportation to two fugitives who remain at large. Baptiste, meanwhile, is accused of maintaining contact with Boyd via phone and social media, supplying him with food while he hid from authorities. Both women were booked into the Plaquemines Parish Detention Center on charges of being accessories after the fact, facing potential fines of $500, up to five years in prison, or both. Their arrests follow that of Sterling Williams, a 33-year-old maintenance worker at the jail, who allegedly turned off the water supply to the cell block at the direction of an inmate who threatened to “shank” him. This act allowed the inmates to remove the toilet without flooding the cell, which would have alerted staff. Williams faces charges of malfeasance in office and ten counts related to the escape, with a bond set at $1.1 million.
Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson, under intense scrutiny, has acknowledged the escape as a coordinated effort involving internal complicity. Addressing the New Orleans City Council, she took full accountability, admitting to procedural failures and intentional wrongdoing within her agency. Hutson has suspended her reelection campaign to focus on addressing the crisis, while three sheriff’s office employees have been suspended without pay pending further investigation. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has called the incident the worst jailbreak in recent state history, ordering an audit of the sheriff’s office and the jail itself, which has long been criticized for inadequate staffing and outdated infrastructure. The facility, built to replace a post-Hurricane Katrina complex, requires millions in repairs, including $5.2 million for locks alone, according to Hutson.
The escape has heightened fears among residents and officials alike. Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, who prosecuted escapee Derrick Groves for a 2018 Mardi Gras shooting that killed two men, expressed personal concern for his safety and that of his staff. Two prosecutors involved in Groves’ case have left the state, citing fears of retaliation. The delay in notifying the public—nearly ten hours after the escape—has drawn sharp criticism, with local officials and residents questioning the sheriff’s office’s transparency and preparedness. As the search for the remaining fugitives continues, with over 200 law enforcement officers deployed across the city, New Orleans remains on high alert, grappling with the fallout of a security failure that has exposed deep flaws in its justice system. The ongoing investigation promises further revelations, as authorities vow to hold all those involved accountable and prevent such a breach from happening again.
