Recaptured inmates look different from mugshots released after their escape; Would you have recognized them?

Published 5:33 pm Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Mississippi prison officials say both men who escaped from a prison near Pearl have been recaptured. Images of the captured inmates differ, however, from the mugshots released to seek the public’s help — both men had significantly different hair styles and facial hair.

The official mugshots released for each inmate as investigators sought the public’s help in locating them showed both men had shaved heads and no facial hair. Images released by MDOC indicated a slightly different “look” for each. Would you have been able to spot them and recognize them as the escaped inmate?

The Mississippi Department of Corrections said that 31-year-old Jonathan Blankenship and 28-year-old Christopher Benson High were caught Wednesday in Meridian.

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Lauderdale County Sheriff Billy Sollie tells WTOK-TV the men were captured at separate locations.

Blankenship and High were reported missing July 5 from Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.

Blankenship was serving a five-year sentence on a conviction for aggravated assault on a police officer and conspiracy in Alcorn County.

High was sentenced to 12 years for a burglary conviction in Carroll County.

Officials believe the men broke into a camper and a business about 5 miles (8 kilometers) from the prison after their escape and stayed in the rear of the business for several days.

The Associated Press contributed to this article.