A prisoner escaped from an Arkansas jail Sunday and then died in a fatal car crash after being chased by Missouri police.
Stephen Mitchell, 39, and cellmate Steven Reed, 22, escaped from Jackson County Detention Center in Jackson County, Arkansas, Sunday night when they found a surveillance camera blind spot and crawled through the ceiling and onto the roof by removing a light.
Reed was re-captured Monday night after being found in a community near the prison.
According to Daily Mail Mitchell’s wife, Jessica, was pulled over for speeding in Missouri on Monday. Mitchell was in the passenger seat, and when his wife stepped out of the car to speak to the officer, he drove away.
Missouri police spotted him a few hours later in the state. After a high-speed car chase where Mitchell tried his hardest to get away, they got into a car wreck, which killed Mitchell.
Jessica Mitchell is now in custody of police, awaiting questioning about her involvement in her husband’s escape.
Reed has been charged with first-degree escape and was sent back to jail with a $1 million bail.
The inmates disappearance was not discovered by guards until Monday morning, which gave them a 10-hour lead on police. Jackson County sheriff David Lucas claims there were many factors that led to the prisoner’s ability to escape.
"I am not making excuses, but it is hard when you have limited staff and are underfunded and overcrowded," Lucas said, ABC reports.