An attempted murder suspect who escaped from an Oregon State Hospital in a minivan while still fully shackled Aug 30 is back in custody after police rescued him from a mud pit Friday.
Christopher Lee Pray, 39, was rescued by Portland Fire & Rescue officials after he was found stuck in the mud up to his armpits, approximately 75 feet from solid ground Friday morning.
“When we got this individual out of the mud, we found that he actually reported being stuck in the mud for over 12 hours,” Lt. Laurent Picard with Portland Fire & Rescue told KGW News. “So he’s very fortunate that he was even alive at that point … He could become hypothermic — which can kill somebody — and the other thing is, not only was he up to his neck in this very thick mud, he was also in a semi-prone position — meaning face down, almost — so his head was in danger of going into the mud and causing suffocation,” Picard continued.
Breaking News: Christopher Lee Pray, the attempted murder suspect who escaped custody from the Oregon State Hospital, was found in a pond in Portland— stuck in mud. Portland firefighters pulled him out using a rope and ladder. He’s now back in police custody. pic.twitter.com/4uR0kugAQg
— KGW News (@KGWNews) September 1, 2023
After the one hour extraction, Pray was transported to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center for an evaluation where he provided medical personnel with a false name. The Portland Police Bureau was notified after an observant hospital staff member noted the patient looked similar to Pray, a release from the police department stated. (RELATED: ‘Really Good At Hiding’: Authorities In Pennsylvania Searching For ‘Extremely Dangerous’ Murderer After Prison Escape)
“We had no idea who this individual was,” Picard agreed, according to KGW News. “And we [give] full credit to Emanuel hospital staff for recognizing him and notifying the police,” he continued.
Police had been searching for Pray for two days following his escape from the Oregon State Hospital where he was in custody on multiple charges, including attempted aggravated murder. At approximately 10:45 p.m. on Aug. 30, Pray escaped custody by fleeing in a 2016 Dodge minivan while fully restrained in leg shackles, a belly chain, and handcuffs, the release stated.