OAN Staff Abril Elfi
4:37 PM – Wednesday, August 14, 2024
A search for convicted murderer Ramon Alston continues after he escaped custody while in the parking lot of the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus.
On Tuesday, Alston bolted as fast as he could from the parking lot of the UNC Hospital Hillsborough Campus after he broke free from his leg restraints and ran into the woods just after 7 a.m. in the morning.
After more than 30 hours of searching, officials declared on Wednesday afternoon that they were “confident” Alston had left the immediate area and that the locals were not in any immediate danger.
A total of 335 individuals from 19 distinct agencies participated in the 1,335-acre search area surrounding the Hillsborough medical center.
According to officials, the coordinated ground search will eventually end and be taken over by an investigation headed by the Department of Adult Correction (DAC) in North Carolina.
“Officials are asking for any signs that Mr. Alston may have been there — any footprints, any discarded remains, handcuffs, attire, anything that we can find that would confirm a direction of travel and how he may have evaded capture,” Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders said.
Alston was found guilty of fatally shooting Maleah Williams, a 1-year-old baby, in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day in 2015. Williams’ mother told the station that when shots were fired, children were still outside playing with their gifts.
She began running away until she realized that her daughter had been struck by a bullet.
While there have been multiple claimed sightings of Alston, none have been “officially confirmed,” Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said.
“No concrete leads at this time,” Blackwood said. “Somebody knows out there that this was planned, and they know who’s involved in it.”
Blackwood also says that he went to school with Alston’s father and has known the escaped criminal his whole life.
“I’ve known Ramone since he was born. He was a troubled child, and he’s been involved in criminal activity since he was a juvenile. He’s extremely cagey; he’s extremely dangerous, and he has nothing to lose.”
According to the Sheriff’s Office, Alston was wearing a “gray T-shirt, brown pants and white New Balance tennis shoes” at the time of his escape.
$10,000 was added to the search reward by the U.S. Marshals Service for information that can lead to Alston’s arrest. As of right now, the cash reward is $35,000 altogether.
To help investigators working on this case streamline tips, a new phone number has been established where you can reach them at (919) 324-1082.
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