HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WITN) – The reward for a Bertie Correctional inmate who escaped Tuesday in Hillsborough has increased to $50,000.

Ramone Alston was serving a life sentence at the state prison in Windsor when he escaped at UNC Hospitals in Hillsborough.

Authorities say Alston had freed himself from leg restraints, and while still in handcuffs, jumped out from a prison transport vehicle and ran into some nearby woods.

Alston was the only inmate in the van at the time, according to Orange County authorities.

Alston is from the Hillsborough area and Sheriff Charles Blackwood suspects he probably did have help with the escape.

Alston was convicted of killing a one-year-old girl on Christmas Day 2015 in Chapel Hill.

The sheriff says he went to school with Alston’s father. “I’ve known Ramone since he was born,” Blackwood said. “He was a troubled child, and he’s been involved in criminal activity since he was a juvenile. He’s extremely cagey, he’s extremely dangerous and he has nothing to lose.”

Gov. Roy Cooper authorized a $30,000 reward from the state, while the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service both added $10,000 to the fund.

The two correctional officers who were transporting Alston remain on the job. The Department of Adult Correction says there’s no indication the two did anything wrong.

The DAC says there will be an internal personnel investigation, which is standard in all escapes. The department says both officers have been with them for several years.

People with information on the whereabouts of the escapee should call 919-324-1082.