US Marshals add Arizona white supremacist murder suspect Blane Barksdale to Most Wanted List
Timothy Hughes, deputy chief of U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona announced yesterday that murder suspect, Blane Barksdale, who escaped custody with his wife by overpowering a transport team, has been added to the Unites States Marshals’ 15 Most Wanted List.
Barksdale, 56, is described as a “career criminal” is on the run with his wife, Susan Barksdale, 59, who was being transported with Blane when they escaped custody while on the way to Pima County.
“They could be anywhere in the U.S.,” David Gonzales, U.S. Marshal for the District of Arizona, said at a news conference Monday,
“We believe based on tips, calls into the Marshal Service from informants and interviews that the Barksdales could possibly be east of the Snowflake area,” added Gonzales.
“About 20 miles (east of Snowflake) are a lot of people who live off the grid. Some are anti-government people, some are good people who want to stay away and lead their lives,” he said. “We have a lot of drug dealers in the area who are involved in methamphetamine use and sales, it’s a very difficult area to do surveillance.”
The reward for Blane Barksdale has increased to $25,000 with his addition to the 15 Most Wanted List, authorities said, while Susan Barksdale has been elevated to a major case with reward of up to $10,000.
U.S. Marshals Service DirectorDonald Washington was clear that the couple should be “considered armed and dangerous.” Authorities noted that Blane Barksdale’s upper body is covered in tattoos that are “all associated with white supremacy groups,” including “swastikas, warlocks, lightning bolts.”
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