Hays County calls off search for inmate

KYLE, Texas (KXAN) - Another major clue was left behind by a Burnet County jail inmate who escaped from the correctional facility in Burnet Sunday night.

Williamson County crime scene technicians positively identified his fingerprints on a Chevy Tahoe found on the side of a remote county road in Kyle, but when search dogs showed up, Hays sheriff's deputies said there was no trail.

The search was called off Thursday morning.

“Without a trail, we don’t know exactly where to look” said Hays County Deputy Mike Thielen.

Williamson County authorities have stopped their search as well after the fingerprint match took the investigation to Hays County.

Officials said the car belonged to someone who was out of town, who received a call from authorities alerting him of the stolen vehicle.

Williamson County Sheriff's Office Detective John Foster said the SUV was stolen from a home on County Road 200 less than half a mile away from another home near Liberty Hill police said the escapee broke into Tuesday morning.

Authorities believe Nuana Antonio Fuentes-Sanchez, 23, stole clothing, food and a .22-caliber handgun from the home located 22 miles from the jail.

The El Salvador native was being held in the Burnet County Jail after he was accused of beating a couple inside their Marble Falls home during a home invasion last spring.

According to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspector who paid a visit to the Burnet County Jail Wednesday morning, Sanchez had at least a five-hour head start on law enforcement after his escape.

A jailer reportedly failed to conduct the required hourly cell check after the inmates finished recreation time around 6 p.m. Sunday. TCJS Executive Director Adan Munoz said the inmate was not discovered missing until a bed check at 10:30 p.m.

Several law enforcement agencies have been working around the clock in the search for Fuentes-Sanchez. Authorities stretching from Hays County to the Texas-Mexico border have been notified.