Death – Obituary – Accident and Crime News : PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A lifeless body discovered inside a warehouse in Philadelphia has been positively identified as that of an inmate who had escaped from a work detail nearly two weeks ago, marking the fourth jailbreak in the city this year, according to authorities.
In a late-night press release on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Police revealed that the body found on Monday has been identified as Gino Hagenkotter, the escaped prisoner. Hagenkotter, aged 34, had been serving time for theft and burglary charges when he managed to elude custody on November 30. At the time of the incident, Hagenkotter was working in the orchard on the grounds of the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center when he requested permission from his assigned guard to use the restroom. However, when he failed to return, the guard discovered that Hagenkotter had vanished.
Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore reported that Hagenkotter had scaled a fence, made his way through a nearby city sanitation department yard, discarded his jumpsuit, and was last captured on surveillance footage walking down the street. On Monday afternoon, authorities received a distress call regarding an unresponsive man inside a warehouse. Unfortunately, the man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police discovered evidence of forced entry, including a broken air vent and a pushed-out fan. A ladder was also found nearby.
The Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the identity of the deceased as Hagenkotter through fingerprint analysis and promptly informed the police. The U.S. Marshals Service Philadelphia, who had been assisting in the search, subsequently notified Hagenkotter’s family. The cause of death is currently under investigation.
Remarkably, this is the fourth escape from custody to occur in Philadelphia this year. In a similar incident in May, two individuals, one of whom was charged with four counts of murder, managed to slip through a gap in a chain-link fence at the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center. They remained at large for nearly 19 hours before their absence was discovered. Fortunately, both escapees were eventually recaptured. In September, a woman also briefly escaped from the same jail by successfully scaling two fences topped with razor wire.
It is evident that Philadelphia authorities now face mounting pressure to address the security vulnerabilities within their correctional facilities and prevent future escape attempts. The recent spate of jailbreaks has raised concerns about the effectiveness of the city’s prison system, prompting calls for enhanced security measures and stricter protocols to ensure the safety of both inmates and the public.