The prison worker charged with helping two killers escape agreed to be their getaway driver but backed out because she still loved her husband, prosecutors said as the manhunt entered its 10th day Monday.
Joyce Mitchell agreed to drive Richard Matt and David Sweat for up to seven hours over rough terrain but didn't know where they were headed, District Attorney Andrew Wylie told NBC station WPTZ.
"Basically, when it was go-time and it was the actual day of the event, I do think she got cold feet and realized, 'What am I doing?'" Wylie told The Associated Press. "Reality struck. She realized that, really, the grass wasn't greener on the other side."
Mitchell, who has been cooperating with investigators, is back due in court Monday morning. She is charged with helping the pair escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that Mitchell was investigated for a sexual incident with Sweat prior to the escape plot.
After the incident, which was investigated by prison officials, Matt charmed himself into her affection — so much so she "thought it was love," multiple sources said.
NBC News also learned from sources familiar with the investigation that the prisoners left behind a series of post-it notes along their escape route. The notes were similar to the one seen in pictures previously released by authorities.
The 51-year-old prison tailoring shop instructor, who had befriended the inmates, is accused of supplying the pair with hacksaw blades, chisels, a punch and a screwdriver.
More than 800 law enforcement officers from New York state, local and federal agencies were assisting in the search, authorities said Sunday night.
"Investigators will continue to search door to door to remind residents to be vigilant," New York State Police said in a statement.
Schools in the area will open as usual Monday, but outdoor activities are suspended.
Wylie said there was no evidence the men had a Plan B once Mitchell backed out, and no vehicles have been reported stolen in the area.
That has led searchers to believe the men are still near the maximum-security prison in Dannemora, New York. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted Sunday that, for all anyone knows, the convicts could be in Mexico, where one of the inmates had fled after killing his boss in the late 1990s.
Joyce Mitchell agreed to drive Richard Matt and David Sweat for up to seven hours over rough terrain but didn't know where they were headed, District Attorney Andrew Wylie told NBC station WPTZ.
"Basically, when it was go-time and it was the actual day of the event, I do think she got cold feet and realized, 'What am I doing?'" Wylie told The Associated Press. "Reality struck. She realized that, really, the grass wasn't greener on the other side."
Mitchell, who has been cooperating with investigators, is back due in court Monday morning. She is charged with helping the pair escape from the Clinton Correctional Facility on June 6.
Multiple sources familiar with the investigation told NBC News that Mitchell was investigated for a sexual incident with Sweat prior to the escape plot.
After the incident, which was investigated by prison officials, Matt charmed himself into her affection — so much so she "thought it was love," multiple sources said.
NBC News also learned from sources familiar with the investigation that the prisoners left behind a series of post-it notes along their escape route. The notes were similar to the one seen in pictures previously released by authorities.
The 51-year-old prison tailoring shop instructor, who had befriended the inmates, is accused of supplying the pair with hacksaw blades, chisels, a punch and a screwdriver.
"Investigators will continue to search door to door to remind residents to be vigilant," New York State Police said in a statement.
Schools in the area will open as usual Monday, but outdoor activities are suspended.
That has led searchers to believe the men are still near the maximum-security prison in Dannemora, New York. But Gov. Andrew Cuomo admitted Sunday that, for all anyone knows, the convicts could be in Mexico, where one of the inmates had fled after killing his boss in the late 1990s.
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