1 of 2 Arkansas jail escapees back in custody, authorities say; murder suspect still on run

Matthew Armstrong, 30, (left) and Jason Brannon, 36
Matthew Armstrong, 30, (left) and Jason Brannon, 36

One of two inmates who escaped Saturday night from a north Arkansas jail has been captured, authorities say, and a search continued nearly a day later for the second.

In a statement around 5:50 a.m. Sunday, the Searcy County sheriff’s office said 36-year-old Jason Brannon was back in custody. Another escaped inmate, 30-year-old Matthew Armstrong, remained on the loose at that time.

The pair escaped from the Searcy County jail in Marshall shortly after 9:10 p.m. Saturday.

Brannon is as a homeless sex offender out of Baxter County, and Armstrong was being held on a first-degree murder charge, according to authorities.

Records in Searcy County Circuit Court show Armstrong is accused of killing 26-year-old Marshall resident Jessica Thornton, who was found dead May 1 in the area of Integrity Road.

The woman was initially said to have sustained a self-inflicted gunshot wound. An autopsy later determined that she died from blunt force trauma and a gunshot injury to the head that was "not a contact or close proximity wound."

The sheriff’s office said neither of the two inmates were armed when the fled from the jail, but that both were considered dangerous.

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