Three inmates allegedly broke out of a Louisiana jail through a crumbling wall on Wednesday — and authorities are racing to capture the final escapee, who is a murder suspect.

The fugitive trio — Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, Jonathan Jevon Joseph, 24, and Keith Eli, 24 — escaped St. Landry Paris Jail in Opelousas by prying through a decaying wall over time and lowering themselves to freedom with sheets and other items, according to the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Joseph was soon nabbed, while Harrington killed himself after being found hiding inside a home. Eli is still on the run, authorities said.

“We would prefer that he surrender himself peaceably,” Sheriff Bobby J. Guidroz said of Eli, who is charged with second-degree murder.

“But we will not rest until he is captured.”

Officials said Joseph — jailed on rape and other charges — was nabbed Friday after a brief chase. Police tracked a tip to a home, where he ran to nearby storage shed before being cornered and surrendering.

Harrington killed himself with a hunting rifle Thursday after police found him at a home and used a loudspeaker to try to get him to surrender, according to Port Barre Police Chief Deon Boudreaux.

Records show Harrington had been facing nine felony charges, including home invasion.

Authorities and SWAT continued the manhunt Saturday.

Police warned anyone who spots Eli to stay away and call 911 immediately.

The jailbreak comes six months after 10 inmates escaped a New Orleans prison through a small window hidden by a toilet, leaving behind graffiti mocking authorities, including “To Easy LoL.”

Authorities scoured multiple states for the runaways as local officials blamed each other for the breakout.

It took five months to recapture all 10 inmates.

The sheriff’s office said the trio in this latest escape were more cunning than in past prison busts.

Officials said the jailbreakers pried through a degraded wall, gradually removing the mortar between concrete blocks until they could slip out. They then used sheets to scale an exterior wall, drop onto a roof, and lower themselves to the ground.

“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” sheriff spokesperson Major Mark LeBlanc said.

“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away.”

The prison break will be investigated internally.

With Post wires.

Two inmates accused of violent crimes, including second-degree attempted murder, are on the run after escaping from a south-western Louisiana jail on Wednesday by removing pieces of a deteriorating interior wall and using sheets to scale another outside wall, officials said.

A third inmate who joined in the breakout died by suicide after he was tracked down.

It was only the latest bold jail escape in Louisiana. In May, 10 inmates broke out of a New Orleans jail after crawling through a hole behind a toilet. It wasn’t until five months later – following the discovery of the escape crime scene with a message that read “To Easy LoL”, finger-pointing by officials as to who was to blame for the audacious escape and a search that spanned multiple states – that all 10 inmates were recaptured.

Wednesday morning’s escape, which took place at the St Landry parish jail in Opelousas, Louisiana, involved three inmates. Sheriff Bobby J Guidroz, who oversees the jail in question about 130 miles (209km) north-west of New Orleans, said the “inmates discovered a degrading part of an upper wall area and, over time, removed the mortar allowing them to remove concrete blocks and provide their exit”.

The inmates then used “sheets and other items” to scale the outer wall and “drop on to” the first floor roof, before “lowering themselves to the ground”, Guidroz said in a press release.

Additional details about the escape were not immediately available. Guidroz said it will be investigated internally.

The sheriff’s office identified the two escaped inmates still on the loose as Keith Eli, 24, of Opelousas, who was facing a second-degree attempted murder charge, and Johnathan Jevon Joseph, 24, also of Opelousas, who was facing several charges, including principal to first-degree rape.

The third escaper, Joseph Allen Harrington, 26, of Melville, who faced several felony charges, including home invasion, died by his own hand after he was found, the Port Barre, Louisiana, police chief, Deon Boudreaux, said by telephone.

After a tipster who recognized Harrington told police on Thursday that he was seen pushing a black e-bike, an officer spotted the e-bike at a nearby home. Police used a loudspeaker to urge Harrington to come out of the house, and they later heard a gunshot. Harrington was found dead inside the home. He had shot himself with a hunting rifle, Boudreaux said.

St Landry sheriff’s department spokesperson Maj Mark LeBlanc wasn’t aware of the jail being breached in a similar way in the past – but noted that anyone will try to escape with enough time and opportunity.

“These three were just a little more creative than in years past,” he said.

There’s no credible indications that the remaining fugitives have left the parish (Louisiana’s term for county), and LeBlanc warned residents to secure their homes and vehicles.

“They’re charged with violent felonies and we know they’re desperate to get away,” he said.

Anyone who helps the fugitives will be prosecuted, he added.

St. Augustine player Larry Johnson (27) celebrates after catching the ball intended for Rummel player Micah Green (83) during a state quarterfinals prep football game at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (Photo by Sophia Germer, The Times-Picayune)