NBC News – (NBC NEWS) - The dragnet for two escaped murderers expanded, with nearly 500 law-enforcement agents hunting for the duo who have managed to evade recapture for six days.
Police pursuing a lead shut down a state road late Wednesday near the Clinton Correctional Facility, but there was no sign of Richard Matt or David Sweat as dawn broke in Dannemora, New York. Officials said that the stretch of Route 374 would likely remain closed through Thursday morning.
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Matt and Sweat were reported missing early Saturday morning — but authorities conceded they could have escaped hours before anyone noticed they were gone.
New York State Police Superintendent Joseph D'Amico conceded Wednesday that he had "no information on where they are or what they're doing, to be honest," but Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed the two would be found.
Hundreds of tips have poured in and authorities said there was information the fugitives might have headed to Vermont, putting police in the neighboring state on high alert.
"We have information that suggests they thought New York was going to be hot. Vermont would be cooler, in terms of law enforcement," Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said on Wednesday.
As the manhunt expanded law-enforcement also doubled down on searches with assault rifles and sniffer dogs near the prison where Matt and Sweat carried out their "Shawshank Redemption"-style escape.
Corrections officers armed with shotguns kept their hands on their triggers while manning a roadblock early Thursday around three miles from the manhole cover where Matt and Sweat broke through to freedom.
Nearby checkpoints along the perimeter of the search area were staffed by a minimum of three state troopers, who examined each approaching car.
NBC station WPTZ of Plattsburgh reported that residents in the area were being urged to stay in their homes and to turn on their exterior lights.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo vowed Wednesday: "I am confident we will find them. The only question is when." State police said more than 500 tips had come in.
Meanwhile, Canadian authorities have expanded their own search, law enforcement sources on both sides of the border told NBC News.
The initial focus for the Canadians was along 100 miles of the border north of the prison, but it has expanded east and west, along Canada's border with New York, Vermont and New Hampshire, the sources said.
Law-enforcement also were continuing to interview a person-of-interest: prison worker Joyce Mitchell. Mitchell — a civilian — has not been charged with any crime.