After the escape, Candy Allen, a friend and co-worker of Vicky White, told "20/20" (via ABC News), "I can't believe she willingly went along with anything." Crucially, there's also no evidence that Vicky was abducted, kidnapped, or otherwise forced into helping Casey White escape, or coerced into planning her own disappearance.
Speculation around the case continues. In October 2023, Kevin M. Gilmartin, a law enforcement behavioral scientist and retired police officer, told "A&E True Crime" that most corrections officers he has encountered in his career who are manipulated by prisoners have poor social connections — and great work records. "C.O.s [corrections officers] see inmates for long periods of time in fairly intimate settings that can be highly emotional," he said. Later, he added, "Seeing [a prisoner's] humanity is healthy — with a healthy employee. It is not healthy with an unhealthy employee. There's this transference reaction because they don't have a vibrant, emotionally supportive relationship or social network at home. This is their only relationship."
Gary Cornelius — a retired first lieutenant who trains correction officers and author of "The Art of the Con: Avoiding Officer Manipulation" — said inmates typically prey on lonely people. "We all have a need for emotional feedback," he said.
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