Search expands to other cities for escapee
ST. GABRIEL - Authorities expanded search efforts for a woman convicted of manslaughter who escaped from a state prison in St. Gabriel.
State corrections officials said they've called in U. S. Marshals to help find Keana Barnes, 33, after her escape from the La. Correctional Institute for Women early Tuesday morning.
Officials were specifically searching in New Orleans, where Barnes is from, as well as other locations across the state.
Investigators are also looking into Barnes' activity in the days leading up to her escape, interviewing fellow inmates as well as guards at the facility.
Barnes is described as 5'4" tall and weighs 140 pounds, with dark brown eyes and brown hair, though the prison said she shaved her head last week. The state Department of Public Safety and Corrections offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to her capture. Tips can be anonymously called in to the LCIW Control Center at (225) 319-2300.
Authorities originally arrested Barnes in Mexico back in 2003, where she'd fled after police said she killed her boyfriend in New Orleans. She was convicted of manslaughter in 2004, and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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News 2's Rob Krieger spoke with another person who said Barnes had also tried to kill him. Hear that story on just one station, tonight on News 2 at 6.