Hey, Michigan! Are You Living Next Door to an Escaped Convict?
Imagine learning that the kind old man who lives next door actually has quite a dark past - and that he escaped from prison more than 50 years ago!
Sounds like a story tailor-made for your favorite true crime podcast. But it's really not that much of a stretch.
According to the Michigan Department of Corrections, nearly two dozen escaped convicts from the 1970s, '80s and '90s are still on the loose. A total of 22 men and women are currently listed among the MDOC's Most Wanted Escapees list - most of them now senior citizens.
Take Buzz Walker for instance. According to the state, he was sentenced to between 2 and 5 years in prison back in 1972 for carrying a concealed weapon. Less than a year into serving time at the Parnall Correctional Facility, Walker escaped and has yet to be apprehended. He was 30 at the time. He'd be 81 today. Could he still be in Michigan? Could he have cleaned up his life? Maybe he's someone's grandpa now?
Then there's Patricia Stafford - sentenced to life in prison back in 1974 on charges of assault with intent to rob while armed. She spent a couple years behind bars before escaping from the Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in 1976, never to be seen again. Stafford was 30 at the time of her escape; she'd be 77 today. Well, we say "Stafford". Check out some of these other names she's gone by:
- Annie Lutes
- Annie Tutes
- Brenda Jackson
- Patricia Gross
- Patricia Jackson
- Patricia Norman
- Patricia Reynolds
- Patricia Ross
- Rachelle Lutes
- Tiffany Glass
- Tonia Johnson
Who knows what she might be calling herself today. Maybe you call her Aunt Patty.
Profiles of all 22 of Michigan's current "Most Wanted Escapees" can be found below. The Michigan Department of Corrections cautions that all these escapees should still be considered dangerous and possibly armed. If you think you have a tip, you can submit it at this link. You're also encouraged to contact your local law enforcement agency.