Manhunt searching for escaped kidnapper from Tennessee prison

Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Tennessee authorities began the second day of a statewide manhunt Thursday, for a convicted kidnapper who they say escaped from prison and may have killed an administrator.

Prison officials said they're looking for inmate Curtis Ray Watson after his escape Wednesday from the West Tennessee State Penitentiary in Henning.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said there have been sightings of Watson but no confirmed leads. Officials said he's a person of interest in the death of correctional administrator Debra Johnson, who was found dead in her home on prison grounds. Police said Watson left on a tractor that was found a mile from the prison.

The TBI has issued a Blue Alert, which means a violent subject is at large who could endanger the safety of officers.

Watson was convicted of aggravated child abuse and aggravated kidnapping in 2012, and had been scheduled for release in 2025.