Authorities in the Houston area are searching for a Liberty County inmate who escaped during a visit to a hospital, setting off a manhunt that has drawn in deputies from neighboring counties. The escape has prompted a public appeal for help as investigators work to track down the man and return him to custody before he can get any further away.
According to deputies, 31-year-old Yorlon Rafael Reyes got away early on Saturday morning, at around 5:15, while he was at a Kingwood hospital for a visit to the emergency room. It was during that medical visit that he managed to flee, slipping away from custody and prompting law enforcement to launch an immediate search of the surrounding area.
Officials have released a description of Reyes to help members of the public identify him. He was last seen wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and orange Crocs. He is described as standing roughly 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighing somewhere between 190 and 210 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes, details that authorities hope will assist anyone who may come across him.
At the time of his escape, Reyes had been held in custody on a charge of publishing or threatening to publish intimate visual material. That was the allegation he was facing when he was taken to the hospital, and it is the reason he had been in the custody of Liberty County before slipping away during the medical visit.
The search for Reyes is being led by sheriff's deputies from Montgomery County and Liberty County, who have been working to locate him since he fled. With the escape happening in one area and the response drawing in more than one county, the two agencies have been coordinating their efforts to widen the net around the missing inmate.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about Reyes or his whereabouts to come forward without delay. They have asked that people call 911 or contact either the Liberty County or the Montgomery County sheriff's office, stressing that even small details could help investigators close in on him more quickly.
For now, the circumstances of exactly how Reyes managed to escape during the hospital visit remain part of the ongoing investigation. Deputies have not detailed how he slipped custody, and the search was continuing as officials sought to bring the escaped inmate back into custody and to reassure a community now on the lookout for him.