CONEWANGO TOWNSHIP, PENNSYLVANIA: Cindy and Ron Ecklund, the Pennsylvania couple who helped police officers catch 'self-taught survivalist' fugitive Michael Burham, have said that they recognized the suspected criminal after seeing him on local news coverage.
Burham who escaped from Warren County Prison by climbing through the metal grates of the prison using tied up bedsheets earlier this month was caught after a nine-day manhunt.
According to reports, the pair was reportedly sitting in their backyard on Saturday, July 15, evening when their pet Labrador, Tucker, tipped them off about a presence near their home. The couple then decided to look into the situation and had a face-to-face interaction with Burham before running back to their home and alerting authorities.
Burham had been charged with several severe crimes, including the suspected killing and rape of Kala Hodgkin, a related arson in Jamestown, New York and the abduction of an elderly couple. Burham's escape prompted a multi-agency search, which came to an end after authorities took him in custody on gunpoint. Officials are now reportedly 'preparing an isolation cell' for the inmate, the Daily Mail reported.
What is known about Cindy and Ron Ecklund?
Cindy and Ron are a couple from Pennsylvania, who recently made news after helping cops to capture fugitive Burham. The pair were sitting in their patio around 4:00 pm on Saturday, July 15, when their pet pooch ran towards the creek running along their backyard and started barking. Shortly after, Ron got into a golf cart and drove down to the creek near their home to investigate the situation.
When he spotted a man sitting down at the venue, Ron decided to investigate the situation further. Speaking about his wife Cindy's response, Ron told WIVB, "She said to me — it was a joke when I first headed down, she says, 'Do you want a gun?' I said, 'No, I don't need a gun, he's long gone, it's a fisherman.'" As the couple approached Burham, the fugitive told him he was camping.
"Gentleman stands up and I asked him, 'So, what are you doing?' He said, 'I'm camping,'" Ron told NBC News correspondent George Solis. Ron said he then turned away, wishing Burham 'nice day,' and urged Cindy, who was standing outside the golf cart, to get back in the vehicle to that they could rush back to their house. Ron then asked his wife to contact authorities.
"We weren't halfway up the yard and I'm like: 'Dial 911. I know exactly who that is. I've seen his picture enough. He's been all over the news,'" Ron recalled. He mentioned that he thought Burham was 'long gone' as police looked for him for nine days but failed to find the fugitive. "But since he stood up, he didn't have a shirt on, I'd seen the long tattoo he had and his face. I said, 'No, let's get in the golf cart, let's go,'" he remembered. The pair also said that Burham had a backpack with him at the time and began walking back into the woods, where police found him at around 6:00 pm that same day.
Cindy and Ron Ecklund are eligible for a cash reward
Reports suggest that Cindy and Ron are now eligible to receive a $22,000 award for their role in Burham's arrest. Cops reportedly said that they were looking to reward their pet labrador Tucker as well. Officials previously mentioned that they were able to track down Burham after a married couple called to say that they encountered a 'suspicious individual' after hearing their pet dog barking in their backyard.
"The owner of the property recognized him, got his wife back into the golf cart and drove away from there so that he could immediately contact us as Burham fled into the woods," Warren County Lt Col George Bivens said. Law enforcement authorities then rushed to the scene and tracked Burham down to the woods, where he was found in a dirty and disheveled state, wearing his prison pants inside out. Bivens mentioned that Burham was also 'tired and worn out' from his week on the run.
Police said that Burham's capture is a matter of "great relief." "All of us were always concerned that we would end up with a citizen harmed in some way, or even one of the officers harmed. 'You’re always worried about things like that, so to not have that play out, it’s a good day," they added, as per the Daily Mail.
