HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Hinds County detainee, who escaped on December 25, 2022, was found dead in Texas on Tuesday, February 7.
Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said Traverro McElroy, 36, and Tyler Charles Payne, 31 were missing at headcount the day they escaped from the Hinds County Detention Center.
Investigators believe one or both detainees stole a 2005 white Chevy van from Belmont Church on Highway 18. The stolen van was later recovered from a body of water in Anna, Texas. Witnesses reported they saw a white man pushing the van into the water.
Payne was captured in Dallas County.
Officials with the Hinds County Sheriff’s Office said McElroy was found dead in a park restroom in Sulphur Springs, Texas. His cause of death is unknown. The investigation is ongoing.
