'Survivalist' Jail Escapee Found After Dog Alerted Family to Hiding Place

Authorities in Pennsylvania have captured Michael Burham, a "survivalist" jail escapee, after a family dog's barks alerted its owners to the homicide suspect hiding on their property.

Police received a tip shortly before 4 p.m. local time on Saturday from residents in Warren County, Pennsylvania State Police's Lieutenant Colonel George Bivens told the media on Saturday. Burham was in custody less than two hours later, Bivens said.

Burham, 34, escaped from jail in northwestern Pennsylvania shortly before midnight on July 6 after he tied bedsheets together and clambered down from the roof of the penal facility. Authorities quickly launched a manhunt for the homicide suspect, who was described by City of Warren Police as "dangerous."

On Saturday afternoon, a married couple went to investigate why their dog was barking and encountered a "suspicious individual," Bevins said. The fugitive said he was camping, but the property owner recognized him and quickly contacted the police as Burham "fled into the woods," he added.

"We go down there, and this gentleman stands up, and I said, 'What are you doing down here?'" Ron Ecklund told New York outlet, News 4 Buffalo. "And he says, 'I'm camping,'" Ecklund told the outlet. "No, it was Michael Burham."

Authorities tracked Burham using a "significant number of personnel on the ground, aviation assets, canines" and by establishing a large perimeter around the area to locate the suspect as he moved through the woods, Bevins continued.

Burham will be initially kept in isolation at Warren County Jail, but then transferred elsewhere after Sunday, CNN reported.

He was described as a "survivalist" by Warren County spokeswoman Cecile Stelter shortly after his escape. Burham was being held on arson and burglary charges, and he is a suspect in the murder of a woman in New York in May. He has been charged with several other offenses, including rape and kidnapping.

Video footage of his arrest appears to show he was wearing his prison-issued pants when he was apprehended. He was "tired and worn out" when authorities caught up with him, Bevins said, according to reports.

Around a week after his escape, authorities said supplies found in a wooded area near the city of Warren had likely belonged to Burham.

"All of us were always concerned that we would end up with a citizen harmed in some way, or even one of the officers harmed," Bevins said, per CNN. "You're always worried about things like that, so to not have that play out, it's a good day."

Update, 7/17/23, 6:45 a.m. ET: The headline on this article was updated.