ABC News reports the FBI is scouring the state of Illinois for two cellmates who escaped the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago, climbing down twenty stories on a makeshift ladder made out of bedsheets. Authorities say Joseph Jose Banks and Kenneth Conley were last seen Monday night, and were not reported missing until Tuesday morning.  Hours after the escape, the FBI says they stormed into a house south of Chicago in Tinley Park. No one was there, but ABC News says the FBI believes they missed Banks and Conley by just a few hours.

FBI News Release:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation, along with its federal, state, and local partners, is seeking the public’s assistance in locating and apprehending two individuals who escaped from the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago early this morning (Tuesday, December 18). They are currently the subject of a widespread manhunt under the coordination of the FBI.

The escapees are

■Jose Banks: male/black, age 37, 5’8” tall, 160 pounds
■Kenneth Conley male/white, age 38, 6’0” tall, 185 pounds
The two, believed to be traveling together, were reportedly last seen earlier this morning in the Tinley Park area.

Kenneth Conley                                           Jose Banks

Banks and Conley, both convicted bank robbers, should be considered armed and dangerous. If you see them, contact local law enforcement or the Chicago Field Office of the FBI at 312-421-6700.

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