'It’s really just a guess': Suspects in homicide and capital murder cases go 'missing' from Arkansas county jail

Police in Arkansas have started a manhunt for two suspects who were found to be mysteriously missing when jail officials took attendance.

The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is looking for 22-year-old Noah Rush and 23-year-old Jatonia Bryant, who reportedly "may have escaped within the last 48 hours" from the W.C. “Dub” Brassell Detention Center, the sheriff's office said in a press release.

Roush was being detained on probable cause for residential burglary and theft of property and was also a suspect in a homicide.

At the same time, Bryant was being detained on probable cause for capital murder.

"We had a head count this morning and they were missing, but it’s really just a guess, as we don’t know at what point they were not in the facility," Jefferson County Major John Bean told the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. "We have two K-9 units working," the policeman added.

Authorities also noted that since "both young men are from the area," police are looking into past residences and recent acquaintances. State officials believe the two men went missing in the 48 hours prior to the discovery that they were gone.

The sheriff's office was asked how the men may have conducted their escape but replied that the information was part of the ongoing investigation and a detail that the office didn't want to make public.

In the official press release, Major Bean asked for citizens with any information regarding "anyone who may have assisted [the suspects] in their escape" to call local authorities.

"All efforts are being made at this moment to apprehend these suspects," the sheriff’s office continued. "Both individuals are to be considered dangerous and should only be approached law enforcement personnel," the press release added.

The sheriff's office also wanted to inform residents that the communication center would be calling locals about the escapees and that some of the calls could show up as potential phone scams by accident.

The W.C. Brassell Detention Center is the same facility that saw five deputies hospitalized after an accidental exposure to fentanyl last month. In late December 2023, the deputies responded to a jail cell where a detainee was allegedly smoking a piece of paper that may have been dipped in a liquid form of a drug.

Two of the deputies went unconscious, another developed chest pain, and others had a headache and developed a rash on their faces.

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