They were wanted in Arizona on murder and arson charges, and they had been held at a jail in upstate New York for three months. But the extradition of Blane and Susan Barksdale didn’t go as planned.

As they were being taken more than 2,000 miles back to Tucson, the couple overpowered and kidnapped the private security guards transporting them on Monday night in Utah, the authorities said.

The Barksdales are considered armed and dangerous, according to law enforcement officials, who urged the public to be vigilant and said they could have access to a cache of more than 100 firearms.

The authorities said the Barksdales escaped in Blanding, Utah, about 20 miles south of a county jail in Monticello, Utah, where the couple spent Sunday night. On Tuesday, a local high school volleyball team sent students home early as a precaution, according to Jason Torgerson , the San Juan County sheriff.