MoreyUnit

U.S. Marshal of Arizona David Gonzales said the couple, both 61, were found murdered near Santa Rosa, N.M.

Their badly burned remains were found in a charred camper on Wednesday.

New Mexico State Police spokesman Peter Olson said Saturday that the escapees and their accomplice were linked to the homicide through forensics but declined to provide specifics. Olson would not say whether police believe the three were responsible for the killings, adding that "we don't know how involved they are."

News of the convicts' connection to the murders came hours after McCluskey's mother was arrested on suspicion of aiding the fugitives.

A team from the U.S. Marshals Service arrested Claudia Washburn at her gas station outside Payson on Saturday morning on suspicion of giving the convicts money and hiding information from investigators.

The 68-year-old had an initial court appearance Saturday afternoon in Payson. She is being held in the Gila County Jail in Globe on a $250,000 bond. The Attorney General's Office expects to charge Washburn on Monday with one count of hindering prosecution.

There could be more arrests in the coming days as investigators piece together what took place in the hours after McCluskey, Province and 36-year-old Daniel Renwick broke out of a privately run prison on July 30, with the help of Welch, authorities say, a woman alternately described as McCluskey's cousin and his fiancee.

Province and Renwick are convicted murderers. McCluskey was serving time for attempted murder.

McCluskey, Province and Welch remain on the loose and are likely driving a gold 1997 Nissan Sentra in the Midwest, according to investigators.

Renwick was captured in western Colorado a week ago after a shootout with police.

After the three inmates broke out of prison, they became separated in the desert, U.S. Marshal Gonzales said.

Renwick made his way to the car that Welch drove to the area and fled north to Colorado, Gonzales said.

McCluskey, Province and Welch hijacked a truck in Kingman and forced the driver to take them to Flagstaff, Gonzales said.

Investigators believe a female acquaintance in Yavapai County helped the fugitives get from Flagstaff to Jake's Corner.

"When they broke out of prison, the first place they came was right here," Gonzales said, standing outside the gas station that Washburn operates.

While in Jake's Corner, investigators say the fugitives got money from Washburn and secured a car: the platinum gold Nissan with Arizona license plate 620 PFV.

Welch had worked at the gas station until around the time of the escape, neighbors said, but then disappeared. Neighbors said Welch was Washburn's niece and had been raised with McCluskey since the two were children.

Washburn's distress over the safety of her son and niece had started to wear on her in the past week, according to nearby residents.

"She's been real concerned," Jake Williams said. "She did say if (McCluskey) has a gun, they won't take him alive."

As the morning wore on, with investigators from the U.S. Marshals Service, the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Arizona Department of Corrections milling around the gas station, many observers in the close-knit community of trailer homes began to wonder if all of the activity was intended to send a message.

Gonzales admitted that was part of the goal, though he said the personnel were needed to execute the search warrant.

"We need to send a message that you do not assist them or there will be a price to pay," Gonzales said.

U.S. Marshals are coordinating the nationwide manhunt for the fugitives, and Gonzales said investigators were tracking their movements.

"We just need one little break," he said. "Quite frankly, we're very close."