Search for pair moves to another state
KINGSTON, N.Y. » The hunt for two fugitives wanted on attempted murder charges in Tennessee shifted on Sunday to Pike County, Pennsylvania, according to state police.
Police said Sunday that Jarret Cole Heitmann and Mikayla Danielle Stillwell, both 22, were seen at the Walmart in Matamoras, Pennsylvania, at 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities said in the release that “all police agencies in the immediate area have been aware of the sighting and the investigation is continuing.”
Police had said as late as early Sunday afternoon that they were searching for the couple in Pine Bush in Orange County and in Bloomingburg in Sullivan County.
Authorities said in a news release Saturday that the suspects “were confirmed” to have been sighted in Pine Bush and Bloomingburg.
Residents of the towns of Shawangunk and Gardiner were alerted late Friday night to lock their doors and windows and notify police of any suspicious activity in the area as authorities searched for the fugitives.
Trooper Brian Anderson at the state police Highland barracks said earlier Saturday morning that the two suspects were “heading south” and were out of Ulster County.
The man and woman are also wanted for assault and kidnapping. They were reported to be armed with an assault rifle and shotgun and “should be considered armed and dangerous,” according to a press release from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
According to the TBI, Heitmann and Stillwell allegedly kidnapped a woman and shot a man in the chest in Tennessee before fleeing last Tuesday.
A NYSWatchCenter alert titled “Law Enforcement Activity in the Area” and issued at 11:20 p.m. Friday instructed residents to “Secure all doors and access to your residences. Report any suspicious activity by dialing 911.” It was received as far north as Saugerties.
A second alert at 11:43 p.m. stated, “The previous message was intended for residents of the town of Gardiner and the town of Shawangunk. All other residents of Ulster County, please disregard the previous message.”
On June 22, the pair was added to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations’ “Top 10 Most Wanted.”
According to the bureau, both are wanted by the Sullivan County (Tennessee) Sheriff’s Office and are charged with seconddegree murder, aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, reckless endangerment and especially aggravated robbery.
Heitmann is described as white, six feet tall and weighing about 165 pounds. He has brown hair and blue eyes.
Stilwell is described as white, five feet-eight inches tall and weighs 135 pounds. She has brown hair and green eyes.
Anyone with information concerning their whereabouts should contact the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation at (800) TBIFIND. The bureau is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to their arrests.
New York State Police are searching the Orange and Sullivan county area and ask the public to report any information to the State Police in Middletown at (845) 344-5300 or the state police barracks in Wurtsboro at (845) 888-2494.