2 inmates escape from Fort Smith women's jail

RCMP in Fort Smith, N.W.T., are looking for two women who made a bold escape from the Territorial Women's Correctional Centre earlier this week.

Police say two 27-year-old prisoners climbed through a window at the facility early Sunday, and have likely fled south to Alberta. Fort Smith, a town of about 2,400, is located on the N.W.T.-Alberta border.

One of the escapees is Sheila Jewell of Gjoa Haven, Nunavut, who is charged with arson endangering life in connection with a Feb. 28 fire that destroyed eight units at the Bison Estates rental complex in downtown Yellowknife.

Also missing is Toni-Lynn Elizabeth Buggins, who is serving time on a separate property-related crime.

What makes this escape unique is that the women appear to have had outside help, Sgt. Grant Payne told CBC News.

"This is the first time in years that, to my knowledge, that anyone's left the facility and gone outside the area and gone south," Payne said Thursday, adding that escapees from the Forth Smith jail are typically picked up within the area.

"It seems this incident has been a little bit organized and planned, and they may have had some aid leaving the area, and that's unusual," he added.

RCMP say Jewell and Buggins may be in the company of an Alberta man named Greg Buffalo.

"We believe he doesn't have any connection to Fort Smith or [the] Northwest Territories, as such," Payne said of Buffalo. "He's from Alberta, and that leads us to believe he's gone in that direction."

Payne added that Buffalo is believed to have contacted one of the inmates earlier Sunday, to schedule a visit that did not take place.

Police delayed announcing the escape until Thursday, as the Alberta connection was not known right away, Payne said.

He added that there was no sign Jewell or Buggins pose an immediate risk to the public.