clinton correctional facility. she denied to her husband a all along there was any sexual relationship. she apparently told investigators she took photographs of herself and wrote notes of a sexual nature for matt to give to the other prisoner david sweat. "the great prison escape" starts now. the following is a cnn special report. >> with estimate they climbed down and had power tools and were able to get out to the facility. >> two dangerous murderers now free. >> they kill anybody they feel like killing anytime. >> how did they get the tools?

who helped them? and what was their plan? >> leaving no stone unturned. >> a scent in the woods, false sightings. all part of a desperate search through the adirondacks and along the canadian border. from the ground and from the air. >> they could have gone to the north up here in the vast woods toward north canada. easy to get lost up there. >> law enforcement on the hunt. two dangerous fugitives on the loose and a dramatic ending nobody sees coming. tonight, a cnn special report, "the great prison escape." hello. i'm randi kaye in dannemora, new york. inmates richard matt broke out of the facility here. it is the first time anyone escaped from this maximum security facility since it opened in the 1800s. that bold escape was the beginning of a story that's almost too twisted to believe

involving murder, manipulation and sex. before the sun began to rise they were gone. an escape plan worthy of a screen play, carried out by two dangerous men. >> on a scale of one to then. they are a ten dangerous wild animal. >> richard matt and david sweat had adjoining cells here at clinton correctional facility. the two last seen june 5th around 10:30 p.m. during what's called a standing count. where both matt and sweat showed themselves standing inside of their cells. hours later a shocking discovery that would leave prison guards shaking their heads. law enforcement on high alert and the small upstate community

terrified. >>. >> this is a very elaborate plan but only at the preliminary stages of determining exactly what happened. >> reporter: what happened would take time to piece together all authorities knew at point is at 5:30 a.m. on saturday, june 6th, routine bed checks turned up only lump of clothing under the sheets. the two prisoners were missing. >> they weren't actual dummies, but they were -- they had clothing on and it looked like people sleeping in the bunks with a sweatshirt hoodie on. >> reporter: how could they have disappeared? after all, this is a maximum security prison. there are visual bed checks every two with hours throughout the night. and guard towers high above the prison walls. as authorities began to take a closer look, details soon emerged of a stunning escape,

not over the prison wall, but underneath it. >> search revealed there was a hole cut out of the back of the cell through which these inmates escaped. >> reporter: a hole in the back of the cell. this is what it looked like. the men cut their way right through the cell wall and steel that was a quarter inch thick. the escapees then negotiated a maze of underground tunnels and pipes. the prisoners got their first taste of freedom in years when they popped out of that manhole right there at that yellow tape. this is the closest we're allowed to get to it. it was a pretty bold exit plan because right over there is a health club and it's surrounded by homes in this quiet neighborhood. so anyone who might have been outside and might have seen them could have quickly called police. the manhole is just a block and a half from the prison. where new york governor andrew cuomo retraces the men's steps

hours after they disappeared. >> must have kept you awake with all of that cutting, huh. >> pictures of the tour are proof of an elaborate escape, an escape they practiced the night before. here's how they figure matt and sweat made it out. once they slipped outside of their cell it is believed they maneuvered across this six story high catwalk, eventually dropping to a series of tunnels. from there they broke through a double brick wall and incredibly cut through a 24-inch steam pipe shimmying their way through it. on the other end, a block away from the prison then, they cut yet another hole. this time to get out of the pipe. after that, they cut right through the chain and lock holding down the manhole cover. >> if there was a rabid tiger running around the neighborhood or a rabid lion or something that could kill anybody, well, these are those animals.

these guys are those kind of animals, like rabid animals that could kill anybody at the drop of a hat. >> reporter: a closer look reveal the men had likely been using some type of metal great to conceal the hole they were cutting in their cell. investigators also believe they may have used a hacksaw to keep the noise down. >> new york state police department of correctional services and state and local federal law enforcement partners are conducting a full investigation in to the escape of these two inmates. >> the escapees left a message for those coming for them. this yellow post-it note is found on one of the pipes they cut through. dripping with sarcasm, it reads, have a nice day with a smiley face on it. >> sure they are taunting, being arrogant, going hey, stupid idiots you weren't watching us close enough and we got out. >> reporter: not only did they get out but they got away, vanishing in the shadows of the prison walls. >> a variety of tactical units,

like s.w.a.t. units. a number of k-9 to include bloodhounds. even three aerial support aircraft, two state police helicopters and one from homeland security have been in the air since this event occurred this morning. >> reporter: the urgency is clear. 35-year-old david sweat and 48-year-old richard matt had killed before. >> i was worried they were going to kill somebody again. i was worried they were going to kill somebody. they are both killers. >> reporter: killers with a criminal past so terrifying those who feared them worried they may turn violent again. subaru has developed cr, our most revolutionary feature yet. a car that can see trouble... ...and stop itself to avoid it. when the insurance institute for highway safety

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it's 3-0 in the first. how'd you do that? magic. acutally, it's the samsung galaxy s6 edge, with discreet edge notifications. when david sweat and richard matt first meet they have one thing in common -- murder. sweat had been convicted of killing a sheriffs deputy back in 2002 and is serving a life sentence without parole. matt had beenen found guilty of three counts of murder, three counts of kidnapping and two counts of robbery. he's supposed to be behind bars for 25 years to life. back in 1997, matt had kidnapped his former boss william rickerson after torturing him for about 24 hours. he killed him and then did the unimaginable, he dismembered

him. lee bates served time after acting as richard matt's accomplice. he testified against him and in a phone interview with anderson cooper called matt evil. >> if you wanted to take a picture of the devil that's the face you would see. >> reporter: bates remembers matt shoving a knife sharpener in his victim's ear and breaking his fingers before killing him. >> i have seen him kill. he did kill mr. rickerson, his old boss in my presence in a fit of rage. he reached in to the car, grabbed mr. rickerson by his head and snapped his neck in front of me. >> reporter: matt worked for rickerson and was fired for poor performance,ing weeks before his murder according to trial. erik jenson knew richard matt

and david sweat with. he served nine months in clinton correctional facility in 2007 for possession of stolen property. he worked this the tailor shop with both fugitives and described matt as crazy. >> to chop somebody up in to pieces and you know, put him in to plastic bags and throw him in different parts of a river in my book that's kind of crazy. it is weird, the aura you get from talking to somebody. you could look at rich's eyes and you wouldn't see anything. >> blank stare. >> blank stare. >> reporter: that was creepy i would imagine. >> very creepy. >> reporter: given richard matt's ugly past, jensen said he never turned his back on him. >> he had a weirdo crime. weirdo crimes are child molesters, serial killers, dismemberers, people who do weird crimes. and do weird thing. >> reporter: a weirdo crime means you are not stable. >> correct, correct.

>> reporter: after matt killed his former boss, his half brother testified in court that matt told him he used a hacksaw to dismember rickerson. the half brother said that matt threatened to kill him and his wife unless he gave matt his van to run away. >> he told me, he thought mr. rickerson owed him back pay. >> reporter: matt took the van to texas where he abandoned it and crossed in to mexico. it wasn't long before he ran in to trouble in that country. killing a man outside of a bar and then serving nine years in a mexican jail. when he was finally extradited to the u.s. to stand trial on rickerson's murder, the court reportedly installed snipers outside just in case he made a run for it. matt also wore electrodes under his suit in court so guards could shock him if he became unruly. his former girlfriend likely

sealed his fate testifying he confessed to her he had broken rickerson's neck. she said he told her it was an accident. perhaps just as cunning and dangerous was david sweat. at 35, he is supposed to spend the rest of his life behind bars here for killing sheriffs deputy kevin tarcia. after sweat and two with others robbed a fireworks store, the deputy confronted them. his sister spoke by phone to anderson cooper. >> i never put him out of my mind. i always think of what he did and how awful this guy is. >> reporter: it was july 4th, 2002, deputy tarsia pulled in to the parking lot where the men were parked. in court the three suspects shared what happened next. sweat who, was hiding under a truck, said the deputy opened fire first. then sweat got to his feet and started firing. one of sweat's bullets hid

tarsia in the stomach reportedly striking his tack and kidney. sweat jumped in another vehicle and ran over the deputy, running over him dragging him in the car across the lot. one of the other suspects charged out of the woods, picked up the deputy's gin and shot him point blank, twice in the face. sweat was charged after police found a hand drawn map and sketch of the fireworks store with sweat's fingerprint on it. now sweat was was also heading to prison where he would meet richard matt for the first time and other inmates say quickly become friends. the relationship made closer by the fact that both are housed in what's called the honor block at clinton correctional facility, a prison block reserved for inmates who have gone years without significant disciplinary problems. the honor block has its

privileges like hot plates and refrigerators in cells. here prisoners are allowed to congregate for hours with fellow inmates which may have given matt and sweat the time they needed to plot their escape. >> you have one person you can completely trust and you'll do everything. it is called go toe to toe with, back to back, knife to knife. it is one person if someone pops them off you will hold them down. i believe that's the relationship they had after their cells got moved together. >> reporter: prisoners in the honor block are allowed to wear civilian clothing instead of traditional prison garb, which may have alued them to blend in easier once on the outside. their good behavior lands them jobs in the prison tailor shochl could that be where they access the tools needed to cut their way to freedom? >> it was truly extraordinary and a unusual and almost

impossible to duplicate. we want to find out what happened. and one of the big questions is where did the tools come from? >> reporter: to answer that question, investigators begin to zero in on tailor shop one. where the escapees worked alongside a prison seam stress named joyce mitchell. and the more they look in to joyce mitchell, the plot starts to unravel, complete with sex, betrayal and a plan to murder.

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on the surface, this woman seems the most unlikely accomplice to a crime. 51 years old, she is a wife and a mother, married to the same man for 14 years. but joyce mitchell has secrets. secrets that have landed her in jail. accused of helping two dangerous felons break free. >> i did many escapees on "america's most wanted dwhats would have never gotten out if it wasn't for the woman who helped them. >> in this case, authorities say joyce mitchell is the one who helped them with their plan. how and why did this wife and mother become involved with two convicted murderers?

it all started with david sweat. who in 2013 was working in the prison tailor shop. there he befriended mitchell. eric jensen also worked in the tailor shop with the fugitives and joyce mitchell. david sweat was jensen's supervisor. jensen said many believed sweat was having a sexual relationship with mitchell. >> she used to keep him back in the mess hall. we would go to the mess hall for lunch. he would be there eating all kinds of fried chicken, barbecued chicken. that was specifically after labor day. i remember that. she brought it in on a styrofoam tray. >> for him. >> yeah. it was like the handsome jock asking the chubby fat girl to the prom. >> did people sort of joke? >> oh, yeah. we all joked. we used to call her his boo. like girlfriend.

slang. we used to joke and laugh with him. >> did you ask hiv him are you having a relationship with her? >> he never confirmed or denied it. >> richle's attorney denied she had a sexual relationship with sweat but whatever it was raised eyebrows and led to sweat being moved out of the tailor shop in 2013 and without him matt could make his move. matt is known as a ladies man, a charmer who befriends mitchell. in 2013, the two start a sexual relationship according to a source close to the investigation. they have sex in the tailor shop when no one else is around. all this time, joyce mitchell keeps it a secret from her husband lyle, according to his attorney. even though lyle mitchell also worked the prison tailor shop and knew both richard matt and david sweat. >> joyce has established a pattern of deception. >> reporter: former fbi profiler mary ellen o'toole says inmates

can be like predators, on the lookout for vulnerable prey, which are often women who work inside of the prisons. >> it starts small, asking for her to bring in what candy bar or asking her to bring in a stamp. there's wording that goes along with something like this, oh, if only i had met a woman like you 20 years ago i'd never be in this situation. so she would be gullible in believing that. that's something we refer to in the fbi as magical thinking that an inmate who has that criminal background would tell you that and you would believe that. and then it goes even further to the point where they engage in sex together an she becomes almost 100% compromised. >> reporter: compromised enough that joyce mitchell tells investigators richard matt made her feel special, and other reports say she thinks it could have been love. but was she in so deep she was

willing to risk everything for it? >> i don't know why anybody is surprised. i think all americans know that crazy, lonely, low self esteem women write prisoners in prison. a woman tried to marry charles manson. woman married the menendez brothers and a man who murdered 17 plus women in l.a. and tortured them with coat hangers. never seems to amazing me how women are seduced by these guys. >> mitchell isn't just risking her marriage but her freedom. all the while she's having this relationship with matt, investigators say she is also aware of their escape plot, even giving them tools. a law enforcement official says she admitted smuggling in hacksaw blades by hiding them inside of frozen hamburger meat and having the meat delivered to richard matt. investigators say she also secretly brought in chisels, drill bits and other items. and it didn't stop there.

authorities say mitchell admitted she was actually going to drive the getaway car. this is where they were supposed to meet, this power plant is a few hundred yards away from the manhole where the men emerged from. the power plant's smokestack, i'm told, is visitable from the prison where the two men worked with joyce mitchell. the d.a. says the smokestack was likely a marker for their meeting place. but on the day of the planned getaway she panics, saying she had chest pains and instead of picking up her lover and fellow fugitive she goes to the hospital with her husband lyle. >> prisoners have all the time in the world. they are conmen to begin with. these men are sociopaths. they manipulate women. they got though this woman's low self esteem and got her which is sad. now her life is ruined. her life is holy hell. they are out running around. they couldn't care less about her. >> are you in love with richard matt? >> reporter: joyce mitchell is

arrested on a felony charge of providing prison contraband and misdemeanor charge. and pleads guilty to both charges. another employee is accused of delivering the hamburger meat to the escapees. palmer, a guard who work ned same cell block is charged with promoting dangerous contraband, two counts of destroying evidence and one count of official misconduct. his attorney says palmer was unaware the blades were in the meat, but the d.a. says palmer failed to properly screen the meat in a metal detector violating prison policy. >> he was conned by joyce mitchell. she duped him. looking back on that he can't believe someone would take advantage of him. he knows he made a mistake and he shouldn't have done what he did. >> meanwhile, joyce mitchell's lawyer said she is distraught

but her story is far from over. lyle mitchell visited his wife in jail after he was taken and is confronted outside of by abc news with a stung question. what do you make of the report she was trying to have you killed? >> not only was joyce mitchell allegedly having a sexual relationship with a prisoner and plotting their escape but authorities say she was aware of a plan to have her husband killed. her change of heart about taking part in the plot to kill her husband comes on the eve of the escape, according to the buffalo news. while the couple is out on a dinner date sharing chinese food. mitchell's attorney said she was not involved in the plot. >> did you know anything about the escape plan? >> reporter: lyle mitchell's lawyer said he didn't know anything about his wife's activities until he confronted her two days after the escape can. that's when she told him the escapees wanted to kill him. lyle was stunned when he heard about the affair and murder plot and feels betrayed by his wife.

>> i hate to use the word cliche but love is blind. >> reporter: joyce mitchell remains behind bars, sticking to her story, she didn't want lyle to be hurt. >> they have a plan to do harm to lyle. she doesn't agree with that. she doesn't want lyle hurt. they start to threaten her. saying we will have someone hurt him any way. we will have someone hurt him in the facility or go to the house and hurt him. you have to help us out. >> for a woman of many secrets, some are still unknown. is she telling investigators everything she knows? or does she have more information on where richard matt and david sweat are heading? hey, tom. small job? no, doing the whole living room. hey you guys should come over later. the exclusive one-coat color collection from behr® marquee interior. every color covers in one coat, guaranteed. turning a two-coat job into an easy marquee® afternoon. sfx: phone chime

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a massive manhunt underway. fugitives david sweat and richard matt on the run. law enforcement moving in to neighborhoods, going door to door, leaving nothing to chance. >> we're leaving no stone inturned. they could be literally anywhere. >> reporter: but where were they? and what did the prison seamstress accused of aiding in their escape really know? what do we know about their plan after they left prison. >> she has been consistent, she's been consistent in that it was seven hours from this area.

she didn't know whether it was somewhere in new york, pennsylvania, vermont or canada if we believe her to be telling the truth on that, they were keeping her at bay about what their ultimate plan. >> reporter: that plan remains elusive. all investigators know is their getaway fell apart when joyce mitchell backed out, leaving the escaped prisoners without the ride they needed. with no transportation, the fugitive killers were just blocks outside of the prison, scrambling to avoid capture. check points and road blocks were quickly set up as police searched each vehicle for anything out of the ordinary, imploring the public to be on the lookout. >> they could be holed up in a home somewhere, canned food, maybe watching the whole search on television, nice and cool, nice and dry. >> reporter: lee bates is a former accomplice of richard matt's. >> they have something in common that says, you know, we're out

and when they catch us we're done. their mind set is probably going to be -- they are not going to take us alive. >> reporter: that would prove to be ominous insight. after nearly three weeks in to the search, residents here on edge. >> state police have been by here without exaggeration probably 50 times in the last two or three days. >> have they asked you any questions? >> yes, they have. if i have seen or heard anything. the answer has been no. >> looks like tracks leading here. looks like broken pieces down here. so we don't know if somebody went through here. if you go down off little stream coming down. you follow the stream, nice way out. >> reporter: this woman was checking her attic and basement every night before bed. >> somebody's going to see something somewhere and somebody will give it up. >> reporter: in dannemora, investigators concentrate on a perimeter near the prison. four-wheelers cut paths through rough terrain. the thick brush makes it hard to

see. so search teams are resorting to other means using motion detectors similar to this one. they have cameras on them and can be attached to any tree here in the woods. when the sensors pick up activity, they snap a photo. law enforcement also on the hunt from the air. you can see what search teams were up against. so many places for the escapees to hide. 6 million acres of trees and heavy woods. >> pretty easy to hide out here. ♪ >> reporter: in the distance, another challenge -- the canadian border. >> we are looking at the vehicles. we are looking at the individuals, opening trunks, opening the back of doors of trucks, very extensive. >> reporter: there are plenty of spots like this one, open areas where you don't need any passports or documentation to cross the border. watch this. here i'm standing in the u.s. i can keep one foot in the u.s. and another foot in canada. this is the border right here or

i can simply walk in to canada no questions asked closer to the prison tips were pouring in. in the village of sarn knack, investigators believe they were getting close when a resident thought he spotted the two escapees jumping over a stone wall the backyard. another alleged sighting, two men spotted walking in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. another possibility lead near the pennsylvania border. two men seen leaving the woods near these railroad tracks. >> the state police are asking residents who live in this area along the new york-pennsylvania border to be on alert. if these men are spotted please call 911 immediately. do not approach as both are considered to be very dangerous. >> reporter: despite warnings and calls to be on the lookout, nothing pans out. the search comes up empty. investigators figure it will

only be a matter of time before the fugitives make a mistake. >> no lead is too small for us to verdict. law enforcement is making a strong, visible presence in this region. >> these people are in need n need of money, in need to sustain themselves. they are hunkered down right now. they are somewhere -- they are going to have to make a move. at some point when they feel comfortable they will surface and make a mistake. >> reporter: suddenly another reported sighting and this one feels real. a witness says a man was running out of a cabin in to the woods in franklin county, new york, just 20 miles away from the prison. investigators pounce on the cabin and find dna from both men inside of it. could this be the lead they are looking for? as a nervous community awaits word, search teams move in. scouring hunting cabins and heavy -- holding on to a strong

sense the killers could be among them. >> i think their long established history on both of their parts to use violence to live their lives, to use violence because they get upset with somebody, that will ultimately get them caught again. >> reporter: a good bet. soon a burglary call and a gunshot will give investigators the break they have been looking for. toenail fungus? seriously? smash it with jublia! jublia is a prescription medicine proven to treat toenail fungus. use jublia as instructed by your doctor. look at the footwork! most common side effects include ingrown toenail, application site redness, itching, swelling, burning or stinging, blisters, and pain. smash it! make the call and ask your doctor if jublia is right for you. new larger size now available.

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weeks have passed since richard matt and david sweat have cut their way out of prison to freedom. the first time anyone has escaped from maximum security here and they are still on the run. but investigators have renewed hope that they are getting close. in the small town of owls head new york, population just about 500, a major break in the manhunt a cabin owner calls police after noticing two men run out the back of his cabin. authorities discover dna evidence, proof that both fugitives had been inside of this cabin, seen here from nbc newsment after weeks of dead-end leads, law enforcement now have something to go on. >> they have some basic supplies that you might find in a hunting

cabin. they have taken some items with them that may assist them. they dropped some items and left some behind that aid in our search effort and submitted to the lab. >> reporter: they left in such a are rush they left behind boots, prison-issued underwear and bloody socks. the first pieces of solid evidence that puts the fugitives in this area of owls head, new york. this is 20 miles from the prison but still finding them will be tricky. >> there are a number of factors that make this a complex search. the weather, terrain, environment. and frankly the vast scope of the north country of the adirondacks. >> it is mountainous adirondack area with trees and swamp. just thick vegetation that you can't see ten feet in front of you. >> making it even more difficult to track these killers, authorities have a hunch they are using picnic-style pepper shakers to throw the search dogs

off of their scent. meanwhile, residents in this quiet town are taking up arms and locking their doors. >> plenty of guns and ammunition. >> reporter: hopeful the two men will soon be caught. >> i'm very concerned because these two convicts, they have nothing to lose. >> it has been awful. can't sleep, and then wondering where they are, what they are doing, how they got out? >> reporter: another lead comes in when a cabin owner notices an open bottle of gin who calls his father and tells his son to notify the troopers. a short time later on the phone with his son a gunshot. he said there is a gunshot and i heard it through the phone. >> reporter: that gunshot was directed at a man driving along this road at franklin county pulling a camper. the camper is hit by a bullet. the driver calls police who end up here. just a few steps off the

highway, an abandoned trailer where it turns out richard matt found shelter. inside insects and spider webs, old sleeping bags and a closet. silverware, sitting in an old mason jar and a teapot still on the stove. john lives across the street. >> to my knowledge, he had been staying there a few days and on the day after his birthday on friday he decided, apparently to shoot at a passing camper, probably to slow them down and maybe commandeer it, take them somewhere but they kept going. >> reporter: law enforcement are closer than ever. they carefully close in on richard matt, who's found lying here behind a tree, armed with a shotgun and in hiding. a cough gives him away. matt is just a five-minute walk from the abandoned trailer when

law enforcement shoot him dead. >> a tactical team from customs and border protection met up with matt in the woods, challenged him and he was shot dead by border patrol at that time. we recovered a 20-gauge shotgun from matt's body at the location. >> reporter: matt never fires his weapon. he is fatally shot three times in the head. >> you never want to see anyone lose their life. but i would remind people that mr. matt was an escaped murderer. killed two people that we know about, killed his boss in a dispute and dismembered him. >> one guy down. >>. >> reporter: law enforcement rush to the scene as word spreads that richard matt is dead. [ sirens ] >> reporter: but where is his

accomplice david sweat? >> we are going to space it out 20 feet down the line. >> reporter: a perimeter is set up as investigators comb the area looking for any sign of him. but as the minutes and hours drag on, there is no sign of david sweat. and it is starting to become very clear that the manhunt is far from over. >> we have no reason to believe that mr. sweat was not with mr. matt at the time, but we don't have any confirming evidence that he was either. there are several leads that are being tracked down as we speak about mr. sweat and his possibility whereabouts. >> reporter: law enforcement quickly moves to track down those leads and close the perimeter, hoping to get david sweat to surface. >> he's been on the run now for three weeks. he's tired. he's fatigued. he's hungry. he's going to make a mistake and once again those calls that we get in, the leads from the

public, i have been saying it right along, something like that will tip it. >> reporter: concern grows that david sweat had parted ways with richard matt long before matt was shot and killed. search teams are racing against the clock, fearing this dangerous killer could be making a run for the border. they couldn't have been more right. when i lay in my tempur-pedic contour, then i slowly feel it start to kind of wrap itself around me... my mind just goes kind of blank- and the next thing i know it's morning. with tempur-flex you've got the spring and bounce of a traditional mattress and it also adjusts to my body. my cloud feels so comfortable. it feels like somebody's hugging you. how can a bed do that? this is the best investment of your life because this is where dreams are made. (vo) there's a tempur-pedic for everyone. find the feel that's right for you.

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three weeks after two prisoners pulled off the most stunning escape ever from this maximum security prison, one of them is still on the run. by now, it's believed david sweat knows his partner in crime, richard matt, was shot dead by authorities. and he also knows he could be next. >> we're going to follow every lead whether it is in the perimeter,ed a jay sent to the perimeter or anything in the county or anything with credibility to it. >> reporter: search teams are hopeful they are closing in. they find a camp near route 41 in franklin county, close to where richard matt was killed. sweat's dna is found at the site but two days have passed since then and sweat is still nowhere to be found.

and still so many unanswered questions. were the fugitives still together when matt was killed? had david sweat already made it to canada? and does he have a weapon too? 1300 law enforcement scour this area looking for david sweat, but all it takes is one state trooper with a very keen eye who notices something strange along this road in constable, new york, just two miles from the canadian border. >> spotted a male who was basically jogging up alongside of the road. he approached him. as he exited the car he male turned to him. he said hey, come over here. the male kind of ignored him. called out to him again. at which time the male turned around kind of like what do you want from me? and he recognized him to be david sweat. >> reporter: sweat ignores sergeant cook's commands and bolts across a field. headed right to a tree line. so the new york state trooper, a trained firearms instructor

reportedly drops to one knee and fires his weapon twice from 50 yards away. an incredibly difficult shot. he hits david sweat both times in the torso. [ sirens ] >> reporter: as word spreads over police radios that david sweat is down, law enforcement races to the scene. startling residents in this small rural community. >> my wife right now in the house said oh, my godding, something going on up the street and i heard shots. >> reporter: incredibly sweat was tw miles away from crossing the canadian border and now bloody and handcuff he is once again in custody. turns out he is unarmed but does have a backpack full of supplies, bug repellent, wife wipes and pop tarts and he had somehow managed to swap his prison garb for camouflage clothing. >> the nightmare is finally over mr. foreman matt is deceased and the other escapee, mr. sweat is

in custody. >> reporter: a relieved community turn s out to thank law enforcement. [ cheering ] >> the nightmare is over but the story is still unfolding. even in critical condition, david sweat begins to spill the details about the great escape. he tells investigators he separated from richard matt five days earlier because matt was slowing him down. sweat said matt was out of shape and hitting the bot le too much after they had broken in to a cabin. sweat shares they planned to go to mexico after escaping but were forced to improvise when prison seamstress joyce mitchell failed to pick them up in the getaway car. >> when mitchell doesn't show up the mexico plan is foiled and they head north to canada. >> reporter: remember the plan to kill joyce mitchell's husband lyle, he said it was mitchell's idea to kill her husband.

her attorney denies that. a source close to the investigation says according to sweat this was a plan long in the making. sweat told investigators beginning la winter sweat cut a hole in his cell first and then matt's cell. sweat would leave his cell every night in search of an escape route, wandering through the tunnels of the prison. the "new york times" reports that at one point sweat cut through a wall when steam started to blow unbearable heat on him. sweat said he rigged a fan to help cool him using electricity from the tunnel lights. also an inmate told richard matt he heard noise coming from sweat's cell as the two were cutting through the wall with a hacksaw. the paper says matt explained it away, saying he was stretching canvas for one of his paintings which he made in prison. and it turns out sweat and matt had made a practice run the night before the actual escape. when they emerge from a manhole, sweat told authorities there

were just too many houses. so they went back to the prison and pulled it off the next night using a different manhole. sweat also confirms the escapees hasn't used power tools after all, just hacksaw blades wrapped in cloth to make them easier to use to cut through the steam pipe and cell wall with. but he adds they did use a sledgehammer they found underground to knock down a brick wall on the way out. an impressive jailbreak that the one surviving escapee will be able to think about behind bars, authorities hope, for many more years to come. ♪

drumpb donald trump on the defensive for comments made by a senior staff member. nfl superstar tom brady loses his appeal in the deflategate scandal. why an old cell phone may have come back to haunt him. the hunter is now the hunted. authorities in zimbabwe are looking for an american dentist who they believe killed a famous lion illegally. ♪ hello, warm welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. john and i are glad to be with you the next hour. i'm zain asher. >> i'm john vause. you are watching cnn newsroom.