The grandfather of one of the escaped New Orleans inmates is pleading for his grandson to turn himself in as authorities continue their search.
Lee Taylor, the grandfather of Antoine Massey, told CBS News that he's concerned for his grandson's safety.
"I haven't slept. I haven't been eating, and I've lost 15 pounds," Taylor told CBS News. "I'm worried about what's going to happen to him."
Massey is one of the 10 inmates who escaped a New Orleans jail on May 16 by yanking open a faulty cell door, removing a toilet, crawling through a hole in the wall behind it and scaling a barbed wire fence in the early morning hours. The jailbreak went unnoticed for hours.
Massey, 32, faces charges of kidnapping, rape, domestic battery involving strangulation and motor vehicle theft. In an Instagram post shared Friday, a person claiming to be Massey stated he is "innocent."
In an interview with CBS News, Massey's pastors added that his family members have been hurting, praying every Sunday for him to give up his time on the run and yield to authorities.
Pastor Robert Brown of Ray Avenue Baptist Church in New Orleans says he would be happy to help facilitate Massey's surrender, if that would make him more comfortable to come forward.
"We are doing everything in our power to diffuse another jailbreak," Brown said. "I don't believe that no one should have to break out of jail to express themselves and tell their story, to be heard. We heard your story, Antoine. We need you to turn yourself in."
Massey's grandfather said the jailbreak came as a shock to him and Massey's family.
"It blew my mind," Taylor said.
Taylor added that law enforcement even searched his home, something he welcomed, but he's afraid that if a confrontation with law enforcement were to occur, it could end poorly.
"I give them credit for what they're doing because they keep me safe... That's their job, and I praise them for what they do," Taylor said of law enforcement searching for Massey. "But all I say, 'if you find him, treat him like a human being.'"
Massey's grandfather hopes he will turn himself in before the law catches up with him. He says Massey is a father of two — a 17-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son. "I just want him to give himself up. Show some love for your family," Taylor said. "They're wishing you could just give up while knowing that you're OK."
Massey and Derrick Groves are the two escapees who still remain at large, and officials have raised the reward to $50,000 per fugitive. At least 16 people have been arrested and accused of aiding the escape of the inmates, including Groves' on-again, off-again girlfriend, who worked at the jail in 2023, but was fired for allegedly bringing in contraband.
Meanwhile, Taylor says he hasn't heard from Massey since the escape, but he hopes Massey will hear his pleas."I want America to know that my grandson is not as bad as they think he is," Taylor said. "He's got a good heart. He just hasn't had the chance yet to really know what it takes for a man to be."
Kati Weis