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Two fugitive murder suspects who escaped Mississippi jail caught following manhunt

Written by ABC Audio ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on July 6, 2024

(HAZLEHURST, Miss.) — Police in Mississippi said Saturday they caught two murder suspects who escaped from a jail early Friday morning.

Tyrekennel Collins, 24, and Dezarrious Johnson, 18, were found in an abandoned home Saturday around noon by officers, following a 33-hour manhunt, according to police.

The suspects, who escaped from the Claiborne County Detention Center around 2:20 a.m. Friday, were considered armed and dangerous according to the authorities.

“When you have someone in jail and they are charged with murder, you get them apprehended as quick as possible because we don’t want them to go out and hurt any more individuals,” Jefferson County Sheriff James Bailey said, according to WAPT.

The sheriff’s office live streamed officers putting the suspects away in a police SUV on its Facebook page.

“Early this morning, two inmates escaped from the Claiborne County Detention Center,” said the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Department in a statement on social media on Friday. “The escape occurred at approximately 2:20 AM.”

Sheriff Edward Goods said both suspects were caught on camera escaping through the ceiling and leaving behind the outside wall, according to ABC News’ Jackson, Mississippi, affiliate station, WAPT.

Both suspects are charged with murder. Collins was being held for a crime in Copiah County while Johnson, who is from the Natchez area, was being held for Jefferson County, according to the Claiborne County Sheriff Department.