Prison Break
Richard Matt (left) and David Sweat Reuters

Investigators Monday questioned an employee of the Clinton Correctional Facility in New York in the daring weekend escape of two convicted murderers, CNN reported. The woman has not been identified and she is not under arrest or charged with anything following the escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat, who used power tools to break through prison walls and connect to underground tunnels.

"They wouldn't have had the equipment on their own, that's for sure," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told CNN. The employee knew the convicted killers “very well.” The employee in question tailored clothes at the prison.

2015-06-08T162614Z_513318179_TM3EB680XY001_RTRMADP_3_USA-NEWYORK-PRISONERS
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) talks to prison officials outside the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, New York, in this handout picture taken June 6, 2015. A worker at the prison is reportedly being interrogated as a possible accomplice in the escape of two inmates. Reuters

"We're going through the civilian employees and private contractors first," Cuomo said during an interview on NBC's "Today" show. "I'd be shocked if a correction guard was involved in this, but they definitely had help, otherwise, they couldn't have done this on their own, even from the equipment point of view."

They men escaped from their cells late Friday night or early Saturday, and "they could be literally anywhere," Maj. Charles E. Guess of the New York State Police, who is in charge of the search, told CNN.

The story has been likened to the award-winning movie “Shawshank Redemption.” In the film, the characters lined their beds with clothes to make it look like they were sleeping. The convicts followed a similar procedure. In their place, Matt, 49, and Sweat, 35, also left a yellow sticky note with a sign that said, “Have a nice day!”

Clinton prison
An outside view depicts the Clinton Correctional Facility where authorities say two inmates escaped Saturday morning.

Cuomo wants the men found. "These are killers. They are murderers," the governor said, according to the Associated Press. "There's never been a question about the crimes they committed. They are now on the loose, and our first order of business is apprehending them."

Cuomo announced a $100,000 reward Sunday. Matt and Sweat are “dangerous people. … And they're nothing to be trifled with,” the governor said. Anyone with information is asked to call New York State Police at (518) 563-3761.

Follow me on Twitter @mariamzzarella

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