2 Mississippi inmates captured after escape from jail

July 6 (UPI) -- Two inmates held on murder charges are back behind bars Saturday after they escaped from a Mississippi jail.

Claiborne County Sheriff Edward Good said deputies found 24-year-old Tyrekennel Collins and 18-year-old Dezarrious Johnson at an abandoned home Saturday morning after the two had escaped the Claiborne County Detention Center at around 2:20 a.m. Friday. Clairborne County is 60 miles south of Jackson, Miss.

They will be transported to Jefferson County and Copiah County, respectively, where they were originally arrested for murder. Their escape will land them additional charges, which carry up to five years in prison, Good said.

Chief Deputy Christy Sykes told NBC News the inmates escaped by climbing through a ceiling panel in the common area of the jail. From there, they made their way to a window and used bed sheets to rappel to the ground.

Other inmates immediately alerted jail staff that the two had escaped.

Johnson injured his leg during the escape and had a bad limp, according to authorities.

The sheriff's department warned residents to "take necessary precautions." The two were not believed to be armed during their escape but were still considered dangerous.

Collins was arrested in 2023 in connection with the murder of his 46-year-old cousin.

Johnson is charged with murder and aggravated assault in the killing of one person and injury of two others in 2022.

Sykes said this isn't the first time Claiborne County inmates have been able to escape through a panel in the ceiling.

"It's been an issue," she said. "We're working closely with the board of supervisors to get this taken care of as soon as possible."