5 Things to Know This Morning

— -- Your look at the five biggest and most buzz-worthy stories of the morning.

1. Corrections Officer Gene Palmer Gave Prison Escapees Paint and Tools in Exchange for Art, Documents Say

A veteran New York state corrections officer rolled out the red carpet for two convicted murderers who have made a spectacular prison break -- giving them art supplies, tools and access to the catwalks behind the walls of their cell to do electrical work, stunning court documents say.

Gene Palmer, 57, of Dannemora, was arrested Wednesday and hit with promoting prison contraband and tampering with physical evidence, both felonies, and official misconduct, a misdemeanor in connection with the "Shawshank Redemption"-style June 6 escape of Richard Matt and David Sweat from Clinton Correctional Facility.

2. Small Ohio Town Is Focus of FBI Probe After Strange Deaths and Disappearances

The FBI is now helping to investigate a string of disappearances and murders that have taken place in a small Ohio town over the past 13 months.

Six women have vanished in the town of Chillicothe since May of last year and four of those have been found dead, authorities said. The women who disappeared were mostly in their 20s and 30s and were mothers. One victim was a grandmother with her third grandchild on the way, authorities said.

3. Adopted Woman Raised as Black Finds Out at Age 70 That Her Birth Parents Were White

Verda Byrd spent the past seven decades of her life as a black woman, but at age 70, she discovered a shocking family secret her parents took to their grave that she's recently made peace with -- she was born white.

Byrd, now 72, was adopted as a baby in 1943 by her black parents, who never told her that her biological parents were actually white, she said, explaining that she only uncovered the truth in 2013 about her birth after she went on a search for her biological parents' history.

"It was overwhelming," she told ABC News. "You cannot erase 70 years of your life and just accept what the papers say instantly. It's like 70 years pass by, and in a blink of an eye, you’re a different race."

4. 'The Watcher': NJ Family's Reported Claims Subject of Town Hall Meeting

A New Jersey mayor is asking for the public’s help after a family claimed they were targeted by an alleged stalker calling himself “The Watcher” who’s apparently terrorizing them over their million-dollar home.

The topic was discussed at a town hall meeting in Westfield, Union County. The upscale town is located less than 20 miles west of New York City. Mayor Andy Skibitsky, speaking at the meeting, said the identity of “The Watcher” remains a mystery.

“When, over a year ago, this matter was reported to the police, our police department conducted an exhaustive investigation,” Skibitsky said. “Such efforts, however, have not yielded information leading to charges being filed and, therefore, this case is pending introduction of any new evidence.”

5. Bobbi Kristina Brown Moved to Hospice Care

Bobbi Kristina Brown, the daughter of late superstar Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, has been moved to hospice care, nearly five months after she was found unresponsive in her Georgia home.

"Despite the great medical care at numerous facilities, Bobbi Kristina Brown's condition has continued to deteriorate," her aunt Pat Houston told ABC News in a statement.