A murder suspect who was accidentally released from a California jail last year is back in custody after a dramatic multi-state manhunt that ended with his arrest in St. Louis, federal authorities said.
Isaiah Jamon Andrews, 20, had been locked up at the Martinez Detention Facility in Contra Costa County while awaiting extradition to Washington state in connection with a deadly shooting in Seattle.
On October 22, jail officials mistakenly released Andrews after he was arrested in Antioch, Calif., and identified as a suspect in the murder.
At the time, Andrews was also being held on local charges and a separate juvenile warrant from Sacramento, authorities said.
The error didn’t come to light until after Andrews had vanished. By the time officials realized the mistake, Seattle detectives were already en route to pick him up, only to learn the suspect was gone.
After his release, deputies initially searched the area around the jail but quickly determined Andrews was no longer nearby.
The discovery triggered an urgent search involving the US Marshals Service and multiple law enforcement agencies.
Andrews was tracked down Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, and taken back into custody without incident, according to the US Marshals Service, which worked with Seattle police to locate him.
He is now expected to be returned to Washington’s King County, where he will face murder investigation.
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to investigate the circumstances behind Andrews’ release.