Police reportedly found the body of an escaped inmate floating in the Ohio River Sunday.
Bradley Gillespie, 50, was discovered by a boater Sunday afternoon, according to reports.
Escaped Ohio Inmate Reportedly Found Dead Floating In River via @DailyCaller https://t.co/kfKRtiefyd
— Chris 🇺🇸 (@Chris_1791) May 29, 2023
"Gillespie has been missing from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution since May 23, when correctional officers at the facility discovered he and fellow inmate James Lee were gone," the Daily Caller reported.
"A subsequent widespread manhunt led authorities to the border of Indiana and Kentucky on Wednesday morning, where Henderson police officers apprehended Lee after he crashed a stolen vehicle. The car’s other occupant, believed to be Gillespie, fled the scene and had been missing since," it added.
Escaped Ohio inmate found dead in the Ohio Riverhttps://t.co/Xz3DhjvLkX
— WGN TV News (@WGNNews) May 29, 2023
"During a press conference on Sunday afternoon, Henderson police announced they found Gillespie’s body in the Ohio River," the New York Post reported.
"According to Henderson Police Department Chief Sean McKinney, a boater on the Ohio River called and said he saw what he believed was a body in the water," it added.
"Four employees from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution were placed on administrative leave following the escape of Gillespie and Lee," WGN 9 reported.
"An investigation remains ongoing, and state authorities said additional employees may be placed on administrative leave," it added.
Ohio inmate Bradley Gillespie who escaped prison 5 days ago found dead floating in river: police https://t.co/95RXhDgNgk pic.twitter.com/VG6KgQccVu
— New York Post (@nypost) May 30, 2023
The discovery of the inmate's body brings an end to the five-day manhunt following the release. An autopsy has been ordered for Gillespie's body to better determine the cause of death following the apparent drowning.
The inmate's body was found by Henderson, Kentucky, police far from the location of the breakout, surprising authorities at the distance covered. The other escaped inmate was arrested shortly after the escape following their exit from the prison using a trash dumpster in which the two men had hidden in their attempt for freedom from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution.
The convict had been sentenced following a conviction of a double murder and other crimes. Gillespie's longtime sentence instead now comes to an abrupt end in the case that has caught the attention of headlines and many people in the area over the past week.
