Manhunt for Vicksburg capital murder suspect escapee

Authorities are scouring Vicksburg and the surrounding area for an escaped inmate  facing capital murder charges in the rape and  slaying of an elderly woman.

Sheriff Martin Pace said Rafael McCloud, 34, escaped from the Warren County Jail Wednesday around 5:30 a.m., using a homemade shank to force a jailer to give him his keys, radio, pants and jacket. McCloud then directed the guard to the bottom floor of the building and left through a side door.

Authorities recovered the radio and keys, along with McCloud's orange jail shoes, not far from the jail.

McCloud was being held in the death of Sharon Wilson. Wilson, 69, was considered a missing person until her body was found outside the abandoned Kuhn Memorial State Hospital by ghost hunters. McCloud was indicted in January by a Warren County grand jury for capital murder, burglary of a dwelling, rape, sexual battery without consent, attempted arson, larceny-motor vehicle and possession of a weapon after felony conviction in connection with Wilson's slaying.

McCloud was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, the jailer’s green pants and a black jacket. He is 5'8" to 5'10" tall and weighs about 170 pounds.

Vicksburg Police Chief Walter Armstrong, calling McCloud extremely dangerous, said he has 25 officers dedicated to canvassing Vicksburg. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is also on site, and Metro One is searching by air. Meanwhile, the entire sheriff's office was on the ground, Pace said.

"We're checking all of the relatives, all of the contacts that we are aware of that inmate McCloud may have been in contact with in the past ... Investigators are looking into the escape itself to find out exactly what happened," Pace said, adding that they will find the security breach that allowed the escape.

Authorities expressed deep concern connected to McCloud's mental state.

"Obviously do not approach him," Pace said. "If they see him and know it's him, we encourage them to call 911 because that gets us the information the fastest."

Pace said there had been no disciplinary issues with McCloud prior to the escape.

Vicksburg Warren School District Superintendent Chad Shealy said as a precautionary measure, all three junior high schools, Academy of Innovation, Vicksburg Junior High School and Warren Central High School, as well as Bowmar Elementary School were placed on a soft lockdown Wednesday.

McCloud originally told authorities he had put Wilson out on the side of the road after robbing her home and kidnapping her.

Anyone with information on McCloud's whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (601) 636-1761.

Contact Therese Apel at tapel@gannett.com. Follow @TRex21 on Twitter.

Ghost hunters discover body of missing woman at haunted hospital