Two Washington psychiatric patients described as dangerous escaped from an inpatient hospital in Lakewood, Washington, on Wednesday.
The two men, Mark Alexander Adams and Anthony Garver, were discovered missing from Western State Hospital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday after being spotted at the facility's
dining hall at 6 p.m., KIRO-TV reported.
Authorities said the men, who are believed to have escaped through a loose window in their room, have records of violence.
Garver, 28, was arrested for first-degree murder in 2013 in the death of Phillipa Evans-Lopez, who was stabbed multiple times before her throat was slashed, the station reported. Garver was found not competent to stand trial.
Adams, 58, was arrested for second-degree domestic violence assault in 2014 and also found not competent to stand trial.
The two men both arrived at the hospital in
February 2015, according to ABC News.
Garver is 5-foot-8, 250 pounds, with brown hair and a beard. Adams is 6-feet tall, 210 pounds, with long blonde hair and may try to flee to California, ABC News noted.
KOMO News reported that officials believe the men may have split up after their escape. A helicopter search of the area was unsuccessful.
KOMO News described Garver as “an experienced survivalist who, according to court documents, threatened to blow up government buildings and kill a judge and prosecutor in Spokane.”
A bus driver said he thought he picked up both men at separate times and locations before an alert was issued. Both may have gotten off the bus at the Towne Center Transit Center.
"They got a considerable head start . . . so all we can really do is let the investigators do some follow up to try and find them," said Lakewood Police Department Lt. Chris Lawler, according to KIRO-TV.
The station reported that the hospital was “seriously understaffed” and that federal authorities had threatened to take away millions of dollars in funding as a result of the staffing issues.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.