A convicted child sex offender serving a 30-year sentence escaped from custody Thursday morning while receiving treatment at a hospital in St. Louis, Missouri.
Tommy Wayne Boyd, 45, escaped from a hospital at around 4 a.m. Thursday morning, the St. Louis County Police Department said in a Facebook post. Mercy Hospital South personnel observed Boyd around that time, but soon lost track of him, calling police at 4:30 a.m. after a search of the hospital.
Surveillance footage showed Boyd leaving the hospital on foot, wearing a black sweatshirt, a black jacket, and orange slippers. He is 5’7” tall and weights 154 pounds, with balding hair and a beard.
Boyd had been transported to the hospital from the Potosi Correctional Facility for unknown treatment when he escaped. The police department warned residents in the area of the hospital to “be aware of their surroundings.” They did not say how a convicted child predator was able to walk out of the hospital without anyone noticing, but police are investigating the situation.
While police don’t know if Boyd is armed, they did say he “should be considered dangerous.”
Boyd’s 30-year sentence is for statutory sodomy, which applies to certain crimes committed against minors under the age of 14, CBS News reported.
Lindbergh Schools announced that it would remain under lockdown for the time being, just to be safe.
“All Lindbergh Schools remain on lockout this morning out of an abundance of caution, as St. Louis County Police pursue a suspect in our area. Lockout means that school is still open, and normal indoor learning activities will continue. Students and staff will remain indoors until further notice,” the school district said in a statement on its website.
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Boyd is the latest inmate to escape custody in recent months. Most recently, nine juvenile inmates escaped from a detention center in Pennsylvania, but were quickly apprehended.
Before that, it took Pennsylvania police nearly 2 weeks to track down convicted killer Danelo Cavalcante after he parkoured up a prison wall and escaped – the same way another inmate escaped that same prison earlier this year.
Earlier this month, 44-year-old Yenchun Chen was apprehended after escaping custody in New York City. Chen had been arrested in late July for possession of a controlled substance, CBS New York reported at the time.
And in Washington, D.C., a murder suspect is still on the run after escaping custody weeks ago. Like Boyd, Christopher Haynes also escaped from a hospital.