Jose Espinosa, charged with manslaughter, and Otis Blunt, who was facing robbery charges, escaped from Union County jail on Saturday evening.
The two men had removed cement blocks from the walls of their cell, later making their way through the holes to jump onto a rooftop below and then over the prison fence to freedom.
The section they were imprisoned in had been classified as the most secure part of the jail.
"I'm extremely disturbed that a jail with the capability of security it has would foster a breach of this nature," County Prosecutor Theodore Romankow told local media.
Authorities immediately launched a review of security, banning inmates from pinning photos and pictures on their walls.
A search was underway for the two escaped prisoners.
