Manhunt for

Authorities in Mississippi are searching for a convicted killer who escaped from prison Tuesday afternoon, describing him as “desperate” and “very dangerous.”

The George County Sheriff’s Office says Drew Johnson, 33, managed to get out of the South Mississippi Correctional Institution in Leakesville.

In a post on Facebook, the sheriff’s office says: “He will be desperate and very very dangerous. Call your family and alert them. Send messages to them and get responses. People tend to be more generous during Christmas and let their guard down. Be vigilant and be careful. Please share this.”

The Mississippi Department of Corrections says Johnson is “a large white male,” 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, with blond hair and blue eyes, and urges anyone who spots him to contact the nearest law enforcement agency. An undated photo released by the sheriff’s office shows he has tattoos on his neck, across the top of his forehead and by his eyes.

Johnson was convicted of homicide/murder in February 2022 in Rankin County, Mississippi, and sentenced to a life term.

According to a 2022 statement from the District Attorney’s Office in Shelby County, Tennessee, while Johnson was awaiting trial in the Mississippi case he pleaded guilty to multiple crimes in Shelby County, including the 2016 stabbing death of a man whose body was found in southwest Memphis and the attempted murder of a fellow prisoner in the Shelby County Jail.