A murderer, attempted murderer and kidnapper escaped an Orange County prison

'We are utilizing every resource available to ensure these inmates are brought back into custody as quickly as possible.'

In a story reminiscent to the Shawshank Redemption, three men escaped a high-security Orange County prison on Friday, leading to a manhunt throughout Southern California.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The three inmates, 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, 43-year-old Bac Duong and 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri were discovered after a nightly inmate count at Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California.

Each of the men is considered dangerous, with Tieu held under murder charges, Duong charged with attempted murder in different cases and Nayeri charged with kidnapping and torture. 

According to the LA Times, Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Hallock reported authorities have been searching Southern California for the men, who escaped through the jail's plumbing system.

When they reached the roof, they used spare cloth and bed sheets to shimmy down the side of the four-story building. 

Authorities believe a fight that occurred at roughly 8 p.m. on Friday could have been a staged distraction so the men could escape undetected.

Sheriff Sandra Hutchins issued a statement, in which she specified, "The three escapees, Hossein Nayeri, Jonathan Tieu, and Bac Tien Duong, are dangerous criminals. I take this situation very seriously and the men and women of the Orange County Sheriff's Department will not rest until all three men are captured."

The Orange County Sheriff's Department provided images of how the inmates escaped.

After somehow working to tear the metal grate behind their beds, the men cut through half-inch steel bars and cut their way into plumbing tunnels.

They reached an unsecured area of the roof as officers were busy with the fight that broke out elsewhere then shimmied down ropes made of cloth and their sheets.

After news of the escape, Tieu's mother, Lu Ann Nguyen, and sister, Tiffany Tieu, told ABC 7, "Jonathan, I miss you honey. I want you to be...I want my son back."

The last time they saw Tieu was on his wanted poster. Tiffany shared that seeing his image on the poster made her think, "Like he's some criminal, some animal? No, the brother I know is loving and caring, and he would never do anything to harm other people."

Both women refuse to believe he took part in the escape plan. 

Tiffany said, "I for sure, I know he wasn't the one that orchestrated this, so I feel like he was manipulated or tricked into doing this."

Tiffany and her mother fear for Tieu's fate and begged, "Please just turn yourself in. Don't let this drag on."

On Sunday at 8:15 a.m., the Orange County Sheriff's Department updated its Facebook page to say: "Award is now up to $50,000-$20K from FBI, $30K from US Marshals #ocjailescape Up to $20,000 reward offered by FBI in exchange for information leading to the capture of fugitives Jonathan Tieu, Bac Duong, and Hossein Nayeri.

"If you see one or more of them, immediately call 9-1-1. If you have information pertaining to their whereabouts, call our Hotline at 714-628-7085. Please share and continue to help us in bringing these fugitives back into custody."

If you have any information about the escape or either escapee, please contact the authorities.

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