It has been 72 hours since a former Arkansas police chief serving decades in prison for murder and rape escaped from prison on Sunday afternoon.

According to the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC), on Sunday afternoon, former Chief of the Gateway Police Department, Grant Hardin, 56, managed to escape from the North Central Unit located in Calico Rock.

During a news conference on Wednesday, ADC Communications Director Rand Champion shared, “We have a fairly clear understanding of the route he might have taken and the circumstances surrounding his escape, including any potential security lapses.”

Champion also mentioned, “Given the information we have and our teams’ expertise, there is a strong belief that he remains in this vicinity,” but cautioned that “just one vehicle could be enough for Hardin to leave the area,” although authorities have set up a perimeter in Stone County.

The victim, a teacher at Frank Tillery Elementary in Rogers, said she was raped by a man with a gun at the school.

“It was proven to be Mr. Hardin beyond all scientific certainty,” Nathan Smith, the prosecuting attorney for Benton County at the time, told the outlet.

Rand Champion said investigators believe Grant Hardin is still in the Arkansas area. (KFSM)

Authorities confirmed Hardin’s DNA matched the DNA linked to the rape suspect. Harrison was ambushed while preparing a lesson plan for the week. The case had been cold for nearly two decades.

Hardin ended up pleading guilty to the rape in 2019.

“Grant Hardin, in my view and in my personal experience, is one of the most dangerous people that I ever seen for the reason that he does not at first appear that way,” Smith previously said. “He is a man capable of a seemingly random, horrific murder as well as a random, horrific rape.”

Hardin is described as a 6′ white male, weighing approximately 259 pounds. 

Fox News’ Stepheny Price and Louis Casiano contributed to this report.