Discarded Inmate Clothing Leads to Manhunt for Escaped Inmate in Castaic

CASTAIC, Calif. – The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station had a slight scare on Wednesday afternoon when a citizen found jail clothing in the Hasley Canyon area.

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The inmate clothing reported at 2:23 p.m., concerned authorities, prompting an inmate count at all jail facilities in Castaic. SCV Sheriff’s officials tweeted Wednesday afternoon, “It is unknown at this time if there is an escapee.” They also said that they were unable to determine how the clothing items were there before they were found. “Until we have an account of all inmates, we encourage our residents in nearby areas to take standard safety precautions,” SCV Sheriff’s officials said in a Tweet. “Make sure your exterior doors are locked, windows shut. Call our station immediately to report any suspicious persons.”

By 3:25 p.m. two of the three jail facilities had reported that they completed an inmate count. Shortly after, the third facility also reported that all of their inmates were accounted for and there was no escapee. Extra patrol units were sent to the area “out of an abundance of caution”. Authorities believe that the found clothing was related to an inmate escape in February 2019, in which the clothing was never recovered.