REPORT: Indiana Detention Center Accidentally Releases Murder Suspect. Manhunt Now Underway

A murder suspect was mistakenly released from an adult detention center in Indiana on Friday, leading to a manhunt to recapture him, according to local reports.

The suspect, Kevin Mason, was mistakenly released due to a faulty records review by inmate clerks, WRTV reported. “This was an error, this should not have happened, Mason should not have been released from our custody,” Colonel James Martin said at a press conference cited by the outlet.

Mason has three warrants issued against him by the state of Minnesota related to the murder of Dontevius Catchings in 2021, IndyStar reported. Martin speculated Minnesota’s decision to drop extradition on one of those warrants may have been the inadvertent cause behind the apparent bureaucratic blunder.

Two clerks were fired over the issue, according to IndyStar.

Watch Live: Marion County Sheriff’s Office officials provide an update on a suspected murderer who was accidentally released from prison.https://t.co/XIyseh3RgI

— FOX59 News (@FOX59) September 19, 2023

Martin explained why police waited so long before reaching out to the public about the manhunt for the suspect. “We have used this time as a tactical advantage for us. We have used … the quietness of the situation to not further run him underground and send him running further than we wanted him to,” he said.

Officials similarly told FOX 59 police had been engaged in a “’round-the-clock” search for Mason.

“For 27 months I’ve been trying to get some type of justice and then now I just feel like we’re back at square one,” Catchings’ sister told the outlet. “I feel like he’s [Mason] going to move way more cautious, way more smart.”