Feb 21, 2008 2:09 am US/Eastern
Mystery Surrounds Disappearance Of N.J. Inmate
Man Believed To Be Missing Inside County Jail For 2 Days
Reporting
Lou Young
NORTH BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBS) ―
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Prison officials are unsure if Timothy Petties broke out of the Middlesex County Jail or is hiding or injured somewhere inside.
CBS
The mother and sister of a missing inmate revealed in an exclusive interview Wednesday night new information about where he might be.
Timothy Petties, 20, went missing before the 10 a.m. headcount at the 1,300-bed correctional facility on Tuesday. Prison authorities are not sure if he's even inside the jail.
There are no obvious signs of an exit point around the jail.
The mother and sister of the missing prisoner embraced in tears Wednesday night certain that something terrible has happened at the jail in North Brunswick.
"My fear is that my son is missing. My fear is that my son could possibly be dead," mother Mildred Petties told CBS 2 HD. "That's my concern – that somebody stuffed him somewhere."
Timothy Petties is listed as an escapee. However, the family told CBS 2 HD that Timothy was in a special unit for a life threatening medical condition that would make an escape attempt very unlikely.
"He is a hemophiliac. For him to be in such a small unit and get lost like that just doesn't make any sense. It doesn't add up," sister Letitia Lewis said. "I don't think my brother escaped at all."
The warden said there is no physical sign of escape but attempts to find the inmate using thermal imaging cameras apparently have been unsuccessful. Petties' mother, who declined to appear on camera, said she fears her son is dead and still inside the facility.
"I don't think Timothy escaped. I think he's still there. I think something happened. Somebody knows something. And I think it should be investigated, as far as that unit and how they handled that unit. I think all that should be checked into." Mildred Petties said.
The Middlesex County prosecutor is still treating this incident as a prison escape.
What it really is … is a mystery.
Timothy Petties of New Brunswick is in jail for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and contempt of court, awaiting a court appearance.
Petties is a black male, approximately 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds.
All of the surrounding police departments have been notified the inmate is missing. The fear is he may have put himself in a dangerous spot inside the jail and may be injured or dead.
This incident comes on the heels of an elaborate escape by two inmates from the Union County Jail back in December. Both of those inmates were recaptured.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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