UPDATE (1:40 p.m.) - During a press conference Monday afternoon, the Monterey County Sheriff's Office said two prisoners who escaped from the jail a day before did so through a 22-inch opening in the bathroom.
Officials shared photos of the opening, located in the ceiling of a bathroom. The area, described as a "blind spot," was not visible from the outside of the room, officials said.
The prisoners reportedly made their way through the opening and were eventually able to climb out a back hatch, which opened into an area under construction that did not have security fencing.
Sheriff officials were adamant that the inmates did not receive help from employees inside the jail, but said they're investigating the role other prisoners may have played in their escape.
The men are considered armed and dangerous and anyone who sees them is told to not approach them but to call 911 immediately.
MONTEREY, Calif. (AP/KSBY) - Officials are trying to find out how two men charged with murder were able to escape from a central California jail.
The San Luis Obispo County Sheriff's Office says it has been notified and asked to be on the lookout for the escaped inmates.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Office warned that the fugitives should be considered dangerous. Authorities gave no other details on how they broke out of jail in the city of Salinas early Sunday.
Authorities say 21-year-old Santos Fonseca and 20-year-old Jonathan Salazar had been behind bars since 2018 and were awaiting trial on murder counts and "numerous other felony charges" in separate cases.
The Californian newspaper in Salinas reports that Fonseca is accused of killing two men in two different shootings in June 2018.
The newspaper says Salazar was arrested in the shooting death of man who was driving with his girlfriend and young son in October 2017.
The Monterey County Sheriff's Department is offering a $5,000 cash reward for information that could lead to the capture of the escaped inmates.
Officials say they will be holding a press conference Monday at noon.
(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
