A convicted murderer mistakenly released from a Miami-Dade jail was recaptured in Georgia on Wednesday after a multistate manhunt, authorities confirmed.
James Edward Daniels, 60, also known as “45,” had been sought since Saturday, when Miami-Dade County officials acknowledged he walked out of the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) due to what they described as a “procedural error.”
Daniels, who has a violent criminal history including a double homicide, was arrested in Macon without incident by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Tip leads to capture
Authorities in Georgia, with the Reynolds Police Department, said that the U.S. Marshals contacted them on Oct. 1 after receiving information Daniels might be hiding in the small Georgia town.
Investigators then reached out to a woman identified as Timishea Price, suspected of being in contact with Daniels.
Daniels was ultimately located at a Macon residence and taken into custody by Deputy Marshals.
At the same time, Reynolds Police said they apprehended Price.
Authorities said warrants are being sought against her on charges of hindering the apprehension of a criminal, a felony. Additional charges may follow, police said.
Daniels’ violent past
Daniels’ criminal record includes a grisly double murder in Opa-locka.
Five years ago, investigators said Daniels and accomplices kidnapped, tortured, and robbed three men. Two victims—Osmar Oliva and Johan Gonzalez Quesada—were killed.
He served prison time for those murders before being transferred last week from a state facility in Lake City, Florida, to Miami-Dade custody to face additional local charges. But just two days later, corrections officials mistakenly released him.
Delayed notification
The Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office confirmed federal agencies were not alerted immediately about Daniels’ release.
U.S. Marshals did not learn of the error until a full day later. The delay has raised questions about why county corrections staff waited before requesting assistance.
Internal investigation underway
Miami-Dade corrections officials have launched an internal affairs investigation into the mistaken release.
“A full Internal Affairs investigation is underway to review the circumstances surrounding this incident and any potential failures to follow department policy,” a department spokesperson said.
Corrections leaders pledged accountability. “Anyone involved in this mistake will be held responsible,” the department said.
