Escaped murderer known as ‘Devil in the Ozarks’ captured after massive manhunt
Former police chief Grant Hardin was found hiding in woods ‘about a mile’ from the prison where he was incarcerated
Escaped Arkansas murderer Grant Hardin — the subject of the Devil in the Ozarks true crime documentary — has been captured after he escaped captivity, according to the Mountain View Police.
Hardin escaped from the Arkansas Department of Corrections' North Central Unit on May 25 after he disguised himself as a law enforcement officer.
The Arkansas Board of Corrections Chairman Benny Magness confirmed to KARK that Hardin was captured "about a mile" from the prison, where he was hiding in the woods.
According to Magness, a specialized tracking unit from the US Border Patrol assisted area police in the search.
Hardin, a former police chief in Gateway, Arkansas, was serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree murder and another sentence for rape.
His case drew national attention and was the subject of the true-crime documentary Devil in the Ozarks.
He was being housed in a maximum-security wing of the primarily medium-security prison, formerly known as the North Central Unit, now called Calico Rock.
Officials are investigating whether a job Hardin worked in the facility’s kitchen aided in his escape. The investigation will focus in part on whether or not the role gave him access to materials he could have used to create his disguise, the Associated Press reported.
On the day of his escape, Hardin was pushing a cart while wearing his makeshift uniform. He approached a door with the cart in tow, and a prison guard opened a secure gate, which allowed him to exit the facility.
Hardin had been outside for approximately 20 minutes before a correctional officer noticed that he was missing. No other inmates escaped during the breakout.
Before he was caught, Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert J. Hammons wrote in a criminal complaint that — based on two unconfirmed sightings, one which placed Hardin in Missouri — Hardin had fled the state.
“Based on this information, investigators believe Hardin has fled the state of Arkansas to avoid recapture,” the filing said.
Hammons also noted in his write-up that Hardin had extensive knowledge of the region and experience as a survivalist.
“He has extensive knowledge of the Ozark Mountain region, where he is believed to be possibly hiding in caves or rugged terrain that he is familiar with,” the deputy marshal said.