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Henderson Police believe they have found the body of Bradley Gillespie, a convicted double-murderer who escaped from an Ohio prison on May 22, 2023. Following a five-day manhunt, on Sunday, May 28, 2023, Police Chief Sean McKinney announced that the remains of Bradley Gillespie, an inmate at Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI), were recovered in the Ohio River near Henderson.
Bradley Gillespie, 50, who is believed to have escaped from prison on Monday, was reported missing alongside a fellow inmate, James Lee, 47, on Tuesday after authorities discovered the jailbreak during an early morning prison count. On Monday, Gillespie was last seen on surveillance footage at the Allen/Oakwood Correctional Institution (AOCI) in Lima around 8:41 am.
The other escapee, James Lee, who was convicted on burglary and safecracking charges, was apprehended in Henderson, Kentucky, on Wednesday.
Police said that on Wednesday, the duo was spotted in a stolen vehicle at 3:16 am before officers initiated a traffic stop. During the encounter, the suspects reportedly sped away and crashed the car before fleeing on foot. Lee was reportedly arrested after a short pursuit however, Bradley Gillespie managed to evade capture at the scene.
Mckinney did not confirm the identity of the body found in the river citing a pending autopsy result. However, he said:
"but everything we have seen and done indicates that this is Mr Gillespie that we have recovered."
Authorities believe Gillespie’s remains were in the water for four to five days before he was spotted by a boater in the river and alerted police around 1:30 pm on Sunday.
Authorities have yet to disclose the circumstances that led to his death but noted that the investigation is in a preliminary stage. McKinney told reporters:
"We are glad to have closure to this situation. However, I do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate the death of any life at this time."
Bradley Gillespie was serving two consecutive 15-year-to-life terms at an Ohio prison before he was found dead
As previously reported, Bradley Gillespie was sentenced to two consecutive 15-year-to-life terms in the slayings of two people. Hannah Fischer and her boyfriend Frank Tracy Jr. were found shot in the head in February 2016.
As per the case report, Frank Tracy was reportedly a Methamphetamine dealer. The document stated that sometime in January 2016, Frank and Gillespie, who had drug dealings in the past, got into a heated altercation, which led to the former pointing a gun at the suspect’s head.
Gillespie, enraged over the encounter, borrowed a gun from his ex-girlfriend to scare the victims. However, during a drug-fueled confrontation, the suspect shot Hannah Fischer and her boyfriend, Frank in the head in February 2016.
During the trial, the prosecutors establishing a motive for the killing told the jury that Gillespie was overcome with rage after the victim had initially pointed a gun at his head.
