Mississippi jail where murder suspects escaped had surveillance camera issues

The rural Mississippi jail that was the site of an escape involving two murder suspects earlier this month was having surveillance camera issues at the time, ABC News has learned.

"The DVR system responsible for recording surveillance footage has been out of operation for several weeks," Claiborne County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Christy Sykes told ABC News by email. "I must clarify that there is no actual video footage of the escape itself."

The escape occurred around 2:20 a.m. on July 5 at the Claiborne County Detention Center in Port Gibson, located around an hour drive southwest from Jackson.

Jackson-based ABC affiliate WAPT reported at the time that Dezarrious Johnson, 18, and Tyrekennel Collins, 24, were being held on murder charges from other Mississippi counties. They were taken back into custody the next day at an abandoned home.

"Our investigations have revealed that the escape did occur through the ceiling and then outside the wall, but these conclusions were drawn from physical evidence and witness statements rather than from video recordings," Sykes said. "Our surveillance had not been accessible for a few weeks."

The lack of surveillance footage was disclosed after ABC News filed a request under the Mississippi Public Records Act seeking recordings of the escape.

Sykes has not yet responded to questions asking when the camera issues began and whether they have since been resolved.