Editor’s Note– This article has been updated to better reflect where the different types of ammunition was found.
(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com)– After an extensive, nine-day manhunt involving numerous law enforcement agencies, murder suspect Michael Burham has been captured in Warren County.
Michael Burham, 34, escaped from the Warren County Jail on July 6 around 11:20 p.m. by climbing on exercise equipment and tying bedsheets together to climb down and escape.
He is accused of raping and killing a woman from Jamestown, NY, setting a car on fire, kidnapping an elderly couple at gunpoint and being taken to South Carolina to avoid law enforcement before leading police on a two-week manhunt.
During a press conference Saturday night at the Youngsville Fire Department, Lt. Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said they first received reports of a suspicious individual near Jackson Run Road just before 4:00 p.m. That full press conference can be viewed below.
PSP quickly formed a perimeter around the area which included a significant amount of personnel, aviation assets and canines and had Burham in custody by 5:50 p.m.
According to Lt. Col. Bivens, the property owner came outside after hearing his dog barking and went outside to check on the dog and discovered Burham. When confronted by the resident, Burham said he was camping in the area but was recognized by the resident who called 911.
Burham then fled into the woods in the direction of Logan Road but was apprehended from behind by U.S. Marshals, PSP and Border Patrol and was taken into custody at gunpoint without anyone else getting hurt.
After being captured, one of Burham’s bags contained multiple types of ammunition for various firearms as well as maps of the area that police said may indicate areas he was camping or storing supplies though no stockpiles were found in the immediate area he was caught.
Burham is now in custody at the PSP Warren barracks and will not be housed in the Warren County Jail.
Burham was also arraigned on the escape charge Saturday with further charges pending.
PSP is continuing to investigate any assistance Burham may have received while on the run.