Authorities in Kentucky announced Sunday that the body of an Ohio inmate was found floating in a local river ending five days of intensive search that involved 16 law enforcement agencies across three states.
The body of Bradley Gillespie was spotted by a boater in the Ohio River after authorities “turned over every stone” while looking for the 50-year-old fugitive.
Investigators said that Gillespie and James Lee escaped from the Allen-Oakwood Correctional Institution in Lima, Ohio on May 23 by “concealing themselves in a dumpster.”
Authorities then announced a $21,000 reward for tips about the two escapees and on Tuesday, the pair were spotted in a stolen red Mercury Capri in Henderson, Kentucky.
After a chase, the inmates' car crashed and Lee was apprehended. But Gillespie, a convicted murderer, remained free.
“We're glad to have closure to this situation in this event,” said Henderson Police Department Chief Sean McKinney.
“However, I do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate death of any life at this time.”
