An attempted murder suspect in Portland attempted to escape police custody but later found himself buried in a muddy pond and needed rescue, according to reports.
39-year-old Christopher Pray, who was charged with several violent crimes, escaped from Oregon State Hospital on Wednesday, but his short-lived freedom was cut short after he found himself buried up to his armpits by a muddy pond.
Videos and images showed Portland Fire and Rescue personnel pulling Pray out of the pond using a ladder that was suspended over the small body of water.
“When our crews got there, they found that this person was actually not deceased,” said Lt. Laurent Picard with Portland Fire & Rescue. “They were alive. And they were about 75 feet out into this pond that had about 3 to 6 inches of water … and this person was up to their neck in mud.”
The Oregon State Police (OSP) said that they are still looking into how Pray managed to escape from police custody. He was restrained with leg shackles, a belly chain, and handcuffs, yet despite this, he allegedly stole a van while the driver was outside and slipped out of the hospital undetected.
“When we got this individual out of the mud, we found that he actually reported being stuck in the mud for over 12 hours,” Picard said. “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.”
Pray’s crimes include attempted aggravated murder, robbery, assault, and a felony with possession of a firearm during an incident in March 2022.
The suspect claimed a bogus identity when he was evaluated at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, but a hospital worker noticed that he resembled Pray, police said. The staff then informed the OSP, who were then able to verify his identity. Pray has since been returned to police custody.
“We want to thank the vigilant medical personnel who recognized Pray and alerted the authorities,” OSP said in a press release.
