James and Jennifer Crumbley May Have Been Trying to Flee to Canada When They Were Captured, Sheriff Says

Two hours after the prosecutor announced James and Jennifer Crumbley were charged with involuntary manslaughter, police say they checked out of a motel where they had been staying and withdrew $4,000 in cash from a bank.

The parents of accused school shooter Ethan Crumbley were hiding out in an artist’s studio in Detroit before they were captured by police over the weekend, and the police chief says they may have been trying to flee to Canada.

Ethan Crumbley, 15, allegedly killed three and injured seven others when he opened fire at Oxford High School on Nov. 30. A fourth student later died from their injuries.

Now Jennifer and James Crumbley find themselves on suicide watch in the same county jail as their teenage son.

Two hours after the prosecutor announced the couple was charged with involuntary manslaughter, police say the Crumbleys checked out of a motel where they had been staying and withdrew $4,000 in cash from a bank.

Then they asked a friend, Polish-born painter Andrew Shikora, if they could come to his studio, which is located just a half-mile from the Canadian border.

“Mr. Shikora didn't know actually know about any of this, and was just doing a favor, what he thought, for a friend,” the artist's attorney, Clarence Dass, told Inside Edition.

"He doesn't follow the news the way that most people in America may think he would,” Dass continued.

The studio is in a converted warehouse, and is used by other creatives, including painters, musicians and clothing designers, according to a virtual tour on YouTube.

On Friday around 5:30 p.m., U.S. marshals posted a $10,000 reward for each of the Crumbleys. Sheriff Michael Bouchard went on several news networks and appealed for information. 

At 10 p.m. police found their Kia SUV abandoned in downtown Detroit. At 2 a.m. Saturday, a tip was phoned in, leading cops to the warehouse where they were found.

The Crumbleys wept during their arraignment. They were each ordered to be held on $500,000 bail. Their attorneys claimed they were not on the run.

“They were scared. They were terrified. They were not at home. They were figuring out what to do, getting finances in order,” one of the lawyers said.

Ethan, James and Jennifer Crumbley have all pleaded not guilty. 

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