Manhunts across America in 2025: Five cases that left cities, campuses and towns on edge

Across the country this year, fugitives on the run turned quiet neighborhoods, rural towns and college campuses into crime scenes. Five major manhunts, each chaotic in its own way, sent police scrambling, triggered lockdowns and highlighted how quickly suspects can disappear.

Ten inmates, including several accused of murder, escaped through a hole behind a toilet at Orleans Justice Center in the early morning hours of May 16, triggering a monthslong, multi-agency manhunt across Louisiana and beyond.