June 11, 2015 10:04 AM EDT
J oyce Mitchell, the New York prison worker being questioned in the escape of two murderers, was charmed by one of the inmates and planned to be their getaway driver until she got cold feet, senior government officials told NBC News.
One of the inmates, Richard Matt, established a relationship with Mitchell over a couple of months, the officials said.
“She thought it was love,” one of the officials said.
Instead of being the getaway driver, Mitchell went to the hospital and checked herself in, the officials said. As NBC News has previously reported , Mitchell checked in on Saturday, the day…
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See the Path 2 Killers Took to Escape From a Maximum Security Prison Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the Clinton Correctional Facility, where two inmates escaped on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York A man-made hole in the wall of the escaped inmates' cell at Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York The industrial area where inmates escaped to from a hole in their cell at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo tours the escape route taken by two prisoners at the Clinton Correctional Facility on Saturday, in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo surveys the manhole where two prisoners resurfaced after escaping from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora, N.Y. on June 6, 2015. Darren McGee—Office of the Governor of New York More Must-Reads from TIME How Donald Trump Won The Best Inventions of 2024 Why Sleep Is the Key to Living Longer Robert Zemeckis Just Wants to Move You How to Break 8 Toxic Communication Habits Nicola Coughlan Bet on Herself—And Won Why Vinegar Is So Good for You Meet TIME's Newest Class of Next Generation Leaders