One inmate is dead and another is back in jail after the two escaped from the Lincoln County, Tennessee, jail's work release program.
Inmates Michael Bowden and Eric Short were found across state lines in Morgan County on Sunday morning, 24 hours after the escape.
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Michael Bowden's family told Ãå±±ÂÖ¼é they are still in shock. Shane Bowden, Michael's brother, wanted people to know that his brother was not a bad person and just made a few bad decisions that put him in jail.
Shane Bowden said the escape was not planned. He said it was a spur-of-the-moment decision in which Michael Bowden and Short realized they had the chance to flee while on their work release jobs.
"He wasn't trying to hurt nobody or be away from his kids, and I'm sure if you told him that he was going to hurt everybody between what happened, he would have never did it," said Shane Bowden.
He said his brother had been in jail for about eight months, and last week, Michael Bowden learned his parole likely wouldn't come up until 2024.
Shane Bowden said his brother and Short had been friends long before they both ended up in jail, and that's likely why they left the jail together.
Both inmates fled to Morgan County, but Saturday night, they got separated, Shane Bowden said. On Sunday morning, Short went searching for Michael Bowden and found his body near the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge.
Although Short was on the run from law enforcement, Shane Bowden said he still called the police to try and save Michael Bowden's life.
"For Eric to be a real standup man and stand up and call authorities when he found my brother's body, it's a real big thing. It's a real big thing for him, and I just want Eric to know that he's a big man for that, and the Bowden family thanks him and we do not blame him one bit," said Shane Bowden.
Michael Bowden was serving time on burglary and assault charges, and Short was in jail on a failure-to-appear conviction, according to online records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections.
