National Alert Issued After Fromme Escape : Follower of Manson Sought in Hills Near West Virginia Prison

Federal agents issued a nationwide alert as 100 officers trudged over the West Virginia hills Thursday hunting prison escapee Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, who tried to kill then-President Gerald R. Ford.

Fromme, 39, was discovered missing from her room at the Alderson Federal Prison for Women during a routine check Wednesday night, Warden Ron Burkhart said. Other inmates reported last seeing her about 10 minutes before the 9 p.m. check began, he said.

The longtime disciple of mass murderer Charles Manson was serving a life term for attempting to shoot Ford in Sacramento, Calif., in 1975. She has been eligible for parole since September, 1985, but waived her right to a hearing.

50 States Notified

Jesse South, chief deputy U.S. marshal, said authorities in all 50 states have been notified of Fromme’s escape.

In Los Angeles, Deputy Dist. Atty. Stephen Kay, who helped prosecute Manson and several of his followers, voiced concern that Fromme may “do something bizarre” to free Manson.

“She already tried to assassinate the President of the United States, so it’s hard to top that,” Kay said. “But I think she’ll try to get Manson out someway short of storming the (San Quentin) prison wall.”

More than 100 agents accompanied by dogs scoured 10 square miles of rugged hills and woods surrounding the prison in southeastern West Virginia. In addition, officials made a second check of the prison’s 69 buildings.

“Sooner or later, I’m confident, we’ll get her back,” Burkhart said. “In the world, there aren’t many places for a Lynette Fromme to go.”

Eluded Roving Guards

Burkhart said he believes Fromme scaled an eight-foot chain-link perimeter fence and managed to elude two roving guard patrols. He said a getaway car may have been waiting for her.

Ford refused to comment on the escape, according to his spokeswoman in Palm Springs, Calif. The former President was unharmed when a Secret Service agent grabbed a pistol that Fromme had aimed at him on Sept. 5, 1975.

Fromme has corresponded with Manson and several other of his followers, Burkhart said. Manson is serving a life sentence in San Quentin prison in California for the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and eight other people.

“My immediate thought when I heard about this (escape) was, ‘What a nice Christmas present for Charles Manson,’ ” said Kay, who continues to handle parole hearings for Manson and his followers imprisoned in California.

Second Follower Paroled

Kay said he is particularly worried that Fromme may link up with another former Manson follower, Sandra Good, who was paroled from Alderson in 1986 after serving 10 years of a 15-year sentence for threatening corporate officials.

“Charles must be very happy because his two most devoted followers, Squeaky and Sandra, are now both out and available to do his bidding,” Kay said. “There’s no telling what they’ll do.”

Good had initially turned down parole in March, 1985, because corrections officials demanded that she stay away from Manson and his disciples. At the time, Good had said she wanted to be paroled to Northern California to be close to Manson. She eventually settled in Vermont.

Staff writer Paul Feldman in Los Angeles contributed to this report.