Law enforcement agencies at local, state, and federal levels are intensifying the search for convicted murderer Ramone Alston, 30, who escaped from state custody in Hillsborough this morning. Alston, serving a life sentence for the 2015 murder of a one-year-old child in Chapel Hill, managed to flee while being transported for a medical appointment.
The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC) initially offered a reward of $25,000, but this morning, they increased it to $35,000.
The escape occurred around 7 a.m. when Alston freed himself from leg restraints and, still handcuffed, ran into nearby woods after the prison transport van arrived at UNC Gastroenterology at 460 Waterstone Drive. Alston was not treated before escaping.
Authorities, led by Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders, have searched over 580 acres, focusing on the area around the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough campus. Door-to-door searches and examinations of neighborhoods, woods, and creeks are ongoing. Officials believe Alston may have received assistance in his escape.
Anyone with information about Alston’s whereabouts is urged to contact Orange County Public Safety Communications at 919-732-5063.
