WOOD COUNTY, Texas — Officials say they believe two escaped inmates from Mississippi who left a stolen van in a Wood County lake Sunday were spotted between Dallas and Abilene.
According to the Hinds County Sheriff's Office in Mississippi, inmates Traverro McElroy, 36, and Tyler Charles Payne, 31, escaped from the Raymond Detention Center in Jackson, Mississippi around 7:30 p.m. Christmas Eve (Saturday).
The sheriff's office in Mississippi performed a headcount of the inmates around 11 a.m. Christmas Day to find that McElroy, who is jailed for possession of a firearm and murder, and Payne, who is charged with carjacking, had escaped.
Officials said the inmates took a van that belonged to Belmont Church, which was burglarized Sunday overnight in Mississippi. The van was found in Lake Fork in Wood County around noon Christmas Day, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said.
A statement from the Wood County Sheriff’s Office said the van was seen driving into Lake Fork. Divers from the Quitman Fire Department located and recovered the vehicle.
In an update Wednesday, the WSCO said on Facebook that Cisco Police Department officers tried to make contact with a silver Toyota Camry on Tuesday, which had a white man and Black man inside. The vehicle evaded officers and headed westbound on Interstate 20 from Cisco.
The Cisco Police Department chief said the driver matched the description of one of the Mississippi inmates, but officers didn't get a good enough look at the Black occupant to get an identification, the sheriff's office said.
"At this time the inmates have yet to be captured, however they are believed to be continuing west," the sheriff's office Facebook post read.
Jones said the inmates escaped through the recreation center door and jumped several fences. The staff failed to complete a headcount Saturday evening.
Witnesses on Sunday saw two men near the van and they reportedly left in a white or silver older model Toyota or Honda compact vehicle.
The sheriff's office said it's unknown where the other vehicle is from. Neither of the inmates have ties to Wood County, but they do have connections to the Dallas/Fort Worth area.
Payne has multiple tattoos including a tattoo on his neck. He is 5’11" and 195 pounds with green eyes and a shaved head. McElroy is 5’5" and 120 pounds and he has a dread hairstyle.
Both are considered dangerous and people are encouraged to call 911 if they see them.
Any information regarding McElroy or Payne contact the Wood County Sheriff's Office at 903-763-2201 or Hinds County Sheriff's Office at 601-352-1521.