'Massive' search for convicted murderer who escaped on way to North Carolina hospital

A man convicted of shooting and killing a 1-year-old girl in 2015 escaped custody early Tuesday while being transported to a medical appointment in North Carolina, officials said.

Federal, state, and local authorities are searching for Ramone Jamarr Alston, 30, who escaped custody from the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction at around 7 a.m. Tuesday. Alston was about to receive medical care at UNC Hospital in Hillsborough when he broke free from leg restraints and ran into the adjacent woods, the department said in a statement.

He was last seen wearing a gray T-shirt, brown pants, and white New Balance tennis shoes, according to officials. Alston was also wearing handcuffs connected to a waist chain at the time of the incident.

The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction announced Tuesday afternoon that the department is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to Alston’s capture.

"There is someone out there who knows where Alston is," North Carolina Department of Adult Correction Secretary Todd Ishee said in a statement. "We hope that this reward will bring them forward with the critical information that leads to Alston’s capture."

Authorities have advised residents to report any suspicious activities and to keep doors, vehicles, and windows locked. "If anyone sees Alston, please do not approach," the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction warned.

'Massive' search underway for Ramone Alston

Earlier Tuesday, authorities said a "massive ground search" for Alston continued in a one to two-mile radius around the hospital facility.

Orange County Emergency Services Director Kirby Saunders said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon that multiple law enforcement agencies were involved in the search, including 114 personnel. Authorities are covering up to 580 acres, equal to nearly one mile, around the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus, Saunders added.

"While the number one objective is to locate where Alston is, it is also imperative that we determine where he is not," Saunders said in a statement. "Efforts will continue until Alston is in custody."

Following Alston's escape, the UNC Hospitals Hillsborough Campus went into lockdown until around 8:30 a.m. and increased its security during the incident, WTVD reported. The Durham Technical Community College campus in Orange County also went on lockdown and canceled classes on Tuesday, according to a campus-wide alert.

Authorities noted that personnel were focused on thoroughly searching areas near the hospital, neighborhoods, and the woods.

"We have very little information or no credible evidence to say where this individual is, and our hope tonight is to assure where he is not," Saunders said at the news conference. "That is our primary focus right now. To one: reassure the community that the community is safe, there's not an imminent threat or hazard to them."

Who is Ramone Alston?

Alston is serving a life sentence at the Bertie Correctional Institution in Windsor, about 150 miles east of Hillsborough. He was convicted of fatally shooting 1-year-old Maleah Williams in Chapel Hill on Christmas Day in 2015, according to authorities.

Local news outlets reported that Alston was found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to life in prison in 2018.

The girl's mother, Tylena Williams, told WTVD in 2019 that Maleah was shot in the head while playing with a group of children outside her godparents' apartment. Alston and his friend, Pierre Je Bron Moore, had opened fire at the apartment complex in a drive-by shooting, according to Spectrum News.

Both Alston and Moore took a plea deal, with Moore receiving a sentence of 28 to 34 years in prison in 2019, according to WTVD.