A murder suspect who was inadvertently set free from a California jail last year has been apprehended over 2,000 miles away by the U.S. Marshals Service, officials announced.
Isaiah Jamon Andrews, 20, was taken into custody on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri, after evading capture for several months following his unintentional release in October, Seattle police reported on Wednesday.
Authorities have accused Andrews of the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Theodore Wheeler, which occurred in Seattle’s Northgate area on October 15, 2025.
Initially, Andrews was arrested within days of the shooting in Antioch, California, following a high-speed chase involving multiple law enforcement agencies. He was subsequently booked at the Contra Costa County Jail on a temporary homicide warrant.
Despite facing local charges, a juvenile warrant from Sacramento, and an out-of-state homicide warrant linked to the Seattle incident, Andrews was mistakenly released by jail staff on October 22, just days after his arrest, according to officials.
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.
U.S. Marshals nabbed the suspect more than 2,000 miles away after more than five months. (Dominic Gwinn/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
“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.”
The Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office. Andrews was initially arrested after a vehicle pursuit involving multiple law enforcement agencies and booked into the Contra Costa County Jail on a temporary homicide warrant. (Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images)
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.”
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