Escaped Mississippi inmate found dead in Sulphur Springs

SULPHUR SPRINGS – The Sulphur Springs Police Department Tuesday found a Mississippi prison escapee dead in the Pacific Park restroom. According to our news partner KETK, a release says officers responded to the location in reference to a welfare concern after a man was in the restroom for a long period of time. Once officers arrived, they found a dead man who did not have any type of identification on him. Officials sent the individual to the Dallas Medical Examiner to positively identify him. Officials said the Medical Examiner was able to identify the man as Travero McElroy (at right in photo) through fingerprints. According to officials, McElroy had escaped from the Raymond Detention Center in Jackson, Mississippi, where he was being held on the charge of murder. “The cause of death is still pending but there is no foul play suspected at this time,” according to the release.

The case also has links to another part of East Texas. An inmate who escaped along with McElroy, Tyler Charles Payne (at left in photo), was arrested in the Dallas area in the early hours of January 10. A white Chevy van linked to at least one escaped inmate was found in a lake near Alba in Wood County the day after the Christmas Day 2022 escape. Officials said a church near the Mississippi detention center had their 2005 white Chevy van stolen and they believed its theft to be connected to the escapees. Authorities said a witness reported seeing a man pushing the van into the water. The van was later removed from the water and authorities confirmed it be the same one stolen from the church.