How the New Orleans jail inmates got out: Photos show their escape route

Photos released Friday by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office offer a look at how officials believe 10 inmates escaped from a jail in New Orleans.

Photos released Friday by the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office offer a look at how officials believe 10 inmates escaped from a jail in New Orleans.

The photos appear to show a large, rectangular hole leading outside the cell. The hole, which has some metal bars, is cut behind where a sink and toilet typically sit.

Horizontal bars that should be in the top half of the opening appear to be missing.

Inside of a prison cell where the escape is believed to have happened, at Orleans Parish Justice Center on Friday. Phrases containing profanity blurred by NBC News.Orleans Parish Sheriff's OfficeIt was not immediately clear if the inmates created the opening or if they discovered it and planned an escape around it.

The inmates appeared to have written messages around the opening in the wall, including "To Easy Lol" and "We Innocent."