LAUDERDALE COUNTY, Tenn. (WTHR) — Officials in Tennessee say an escaped inmate is back in custody.
A tweet from the Tennessee Department of Correction said Curtis Ray Watson was captured.
Details on the capture weren't immediately released.
The state police agency says Watson was on lawn mowing duty when he sexually assaulted and strangled a Department of Corrections employee Wednesday at the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigations says Watson escaped prison grounds, and the tractor was found nearby. The intense manhunt started after Debra Johnson's body was found with a cord wrapped around her neck Wednesday morning.
TBI secured warrants for first-degree murder, especially aggravated burglary, and aggravated sexual battery on Thursday.
Early Sunday morning, TDOC shared surveillance images of the convicted kidnapper in Henning.
They were the first confirmed sighting of the 44-year-old Watson after five days on the run.
Officials were telling residents in the Lauderdale County area along the Tennessee-Arkansas border to stay alert, and to be aware that Watson has changed his clothes.