The manhunt for three of the escapees who broke out of a Mississippi jail continues Thursday after authorities confirmed the fourth fleeing man died in a burning building after a two-hour standoff with law enforcement.
The charred remains of Dylan Arrington, who authorities believe killed a man while on the run, were pulled from the burnt wreckage of a home in Carthage, Mississippi, on Wednesday, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said.
The 22-year-old was found about 70 miles northeast of the Raymond Detention Center in Hinds County where he and the three other men climbed onto the roof and escaped overnight Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
The other escapees have been identified as Casey Grayson, 24; Corey Harrison, 22; and Jerry Raynes, 51.
Arrington is suspected of shooting and killing a pastor in Jackson as he fled Monday and then stealing the victim’s truck and driving away, Hinds County authorities said. The victim was identified by authorities and a church associate as Rev. Anthony Watts of the St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church.
On Tuesday night, authorities in Carthage’s Leake County said they had received reports that one of the escapees, who they later identified as Arrington, had been spotted in the area.
The next morning, Leake County Sheriff Randy Atkinson and an investigator responded to the home where the escapee was suspected to be hiding, but had to take cover as the suspect began to fire at them from inside, Atkinson said. The investigator was struck in the leg and transported to a hospital.
As law enforcement from several agencies responded to the scene, the suspect continued to shoot, Atkinson said.
At some point during the two-hour standoff, the home began to smoke. “A few minutes later, the house was totally engulfed in flames,” he said.
Arrington’s body was later found in the burned home and his cause of death is under investigation, Jones said.
Meantime, authorities are still scrambling to track down the other three escapees, including at least one who is believed to be in another state.
Raynes was was spotted Sunday morning at a service station in Spring Valley, Texas, the city where a Hinds County maintenance truck was also found abandoned, Jones tweeted. It is unclear if Raynes traveled there alone, he said.
Authorities believe another stolen truck may also be connected to the escapees, though investigators have not been able to confirm it, Jones said.
A red Chevy Silverado was reported stolen near the detention center at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, and a witness described two unidentified men in the vehicle, Jones said. The vehicle was last seen Sunday morning headed into Mississippi’s Rankin County, which is east of Jackson, he said.
With the escapees still on the loose, some Raymond residents are concerned that their safety may be at risk.
“I’m scared for my family. I’ve got three grandchildren that are right here in town – every day, all day,” resident Scott Dudley told CNN affiliate WAPT. “So, yeah, that bothers me.”
Jones described Watts, the pastor who authorities believe was killed by Arrington along his getaway path, as a “good Samaritan” who was “stopping to help an individual that was obviously involved in criminal behavior and criminal activity.”
Investigators determined that the victim had pulled over on the side of the road Monday evening to help Arrington, who appeared to have wrecked a motorcycle that had been stolen moments earlier, according to Jackson Police Chief James E. Davis.
Based on information gathered, investigators believe Arrington shot the victim several times and then stole his truck, Davis said.
When police arrived on the scene, Watts was lying unresponsive in the roadway, authorities said.
Watts’ death was confirmed to CNN by Karen Fairley, the daughter of St. Mary Missionary Baptist Church associate pastor, Carl Burton.
“That was the type of person he was. He always wanted to help,” Fairley told WAPT. “Always wanted to know what he can do whatever the circumstance may be.”
“He always told you he loved you and his spirit was so sincere, so kind, and so loving to just everyone he came in contact with,” Fairley told the affiliate.
