BOWLING GREEN, Mo. -- Five inmates have escaped from the Pike County Jail in eastern Missouri.

Authorities said an inmate's family member called the sheriff's office Saturday night to report an escape. A check of the jail revealed that the inmates were missing.

Authorities determined that the escapees had removed a stainless steel shower head controller. They then gained access to a service area and exited the building in Bowling Green, which is 70 miles northwest of St. Louis.

Three of the missing inmates are from the Missouri town of Louisiana -- 22-year-old Jacob A. Darnell, 25-year-old Jason A. Darnell and 27-year-old Emanuel G. Chatman. Also on the run are 49-year-old Joseph A. Verive of Elsberry and 40-year-old William John Thomas Wilkerson Jr. of Florissant.