Married couple suspected of murder escape after overpowering guards while being extradited

Police warn Blane and Susan Barksdale are considered armed and dangerous

Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, are wanted in connection with the murder of Frank Bligh, 72, in Tuscon, Arizona (Tucson Police Department via AP)

A married couple wanted for murder have escaped from custody after overpowering guards who were transporting them through Utah in the United States.

Blane Barksdale, 56, and Susan Barksdale, 59, broke free from two guards on Monday evening.

They escaped from Blanding, a rural town in southeast Utah, the Tuscon Police Department said in a statement.

The couple are wanted in connection with the murder of Frank Bligh, 72, in Tuscon, Arizona, in April this year.

Police warned that they are considered armed and dangerous.

The couple were being extradited from the New York town of Henrietta, where they were arrested in May, to Prima County, Arizona, to face a murder charge, police said.

They were last seen driving a red GMC Sierra pickup truck, with damage to the front passenger side and rear bumper.

Their direction of travel is currently unknown, though investigators believe they are travelling through Arizona.