A manhunt is continuing in Baltimore where a murder suspect was accidentally released from jail by an employee while he was awaiting his trial.
Corrections officials didn't realize their mistake until Rodriquez Purnell, 30, was spotted by friends of the victim in the neighborhood. The victims family called police shortly after, reports ABC News.
That was the last time the suspect was seen and authorities are on a manhunt looking to get him back. The search team is getting a lot of support - even from the suspect's own mother, Jackie Davis.
Purnell was in and out of jail for years on drugs and robbery charges, reports ABC News. The most recent allegation against him is shooting T.J. Rheubottom, 27, to death.
Authorities are under the impression that Purnell's old records were confused with the current case by corrections officers, leading them to accidentally letting him go, ABC News reports.
The situation is being investigated and officials are examining their procedures to determine if they should be updated, reports Daily Mail. An employee connected to what jail officials are calling a "protocol breach" is on paid administrative leave until the end of the investigation.
"I believe that he is very dangerous and he needs to be off the streets today," Davis tells ABC News. "This should have never happened."
It's feared that Rheubottom's family and those who testified against Purnell in court could be in danger.
The Maryland Reception, Diagnostic and Classification Center, who accidentally released Purnell, is under control of the state, therefore anything he does while he is out of prison is the responsibility of the state, reports Daily Mail.
