Mississippi murder suspects back in custody after manhunt involving nine agencies

Published 5:33 pm Saturday, July 6, 2024

Two murder suspects who escaped a Mississippi jail are back in custody after a large-scale manhunt involving nine agencies.

The Natchez Democrat reports that Dezarrious Johnson, 18, from Natchez, and Tyrekennel Collins, 24, were captured around 11 a.m. Saturday at an abandoned house on Bridewell Road in Port Gibson, according to Adams County Sheriff Travis Patten.

Johnson, who was charged with murder in Jefferson County, injured his right ankle during the escape. Johnson’s limp was noticeable in a Facebook live broadcast by the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office showing the suspects’ capture. Collins is accused of murdering his cousin in Copiah County.

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In addition to the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office, the search included officers from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, Mississippi Wildlife and Fisheries, Rankin County Sheriff’s Office, Warren County Sheriff’s Office, Port Gibson Police Department, the U.S. Marshals Service, Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the Chase Team from Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola.

Patten told The Democrat that the manhunt was a massive operation and that Claiborne County was essentially on lockdown.