Accused killer caught in Missouri after California jail mistakenly freed him

A homicide suspect who was mistakenly released from a California jail last year has been captured more than 2,000 miles away by the U.S. Marshals Service, authorities said.

Isaiah Jamon Andrews, 20, was arrested Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, after months on the run following his accidental release from custody in October, Seattle police said Wednesday.

He is accused in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Theodore Wheeler in Seattle’s Northgate neighborhood on Oct. 15, 2025, authorities said.

Andrews was initially arrested days after the shooting in Antioch, California, after a vehicle pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies and booked into the Contra Costa County Jail on a temporary homicide warrant.

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But just days after his arrest, jail staff mistakenly released Andrews on Oct. 22, even though he was being held on local charges, a juvenile warrant out of Sacramento and an out-of-state homicide warrant tied to the Seattle case, according to authorities.

The error was not discovered until after Andrews had already left the facility, triggering a multi-agency manhunt involving the U.S. Marshals Service.

He remained at large for more than five months before being located and arrested without incident in St. Louis, officials said. He is expected to be extradited back to Washington state to face a first-degree murder warrant.

Authorities have not publicly explained how the release happened.

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office for comment on what led to the error but did not receive a response.

Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes acknowledged the mistake in October.

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“Certainly, it was an error that if they had to go back and do it all again, they would’ve done something differently,” Barnes told KUTV. “But it’s my understanding that he was released by accident, and they are working feverishly to put him back into custody.”

At the time, Andrews was also facing local charges in California and had an outstanding juvenile warrant out of Sacramento County, according to officials.

For the victim’s family, the mistake was devastating.

“I’m sad, I’m hurt, I’m disappointed. I feel like they don’t care,” the victim’s mother told KING 5 Seattle after the mistake came to light. “Nobody notified me.”

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She said she feared for her safety after learning the suspect had been released.

“They shouldn’t have anyone in the field who would let something like this happen. Never,” she said. “I want someone to step up and take responsibility. They’re putting my family in danger.”

Fox News’ Stepheny Price contributed to this report.