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A suspect in a homicide case, who was erroneously released from a California detention facility last year, has been successfully apprehended over 2,000 miles away by U.S. Marshals, as reported by authorities.
Isaiah Jamon Andrews, aged 20, was taken into custody on Tuesday in St. Louis, Missouri. His arrest comes after months of evading capture following his unintentional discharge from jail in October. This update was confirmed by Seattle police on Wednesday.
Andrews faces charges related to the fatal shooting of Theodore Wheeler, also 20 years old, which occurred in Seattle’s Northgate area on October 15, 2025, according to authorities.
The suspect was originally apprehended shortly after the incident in Antioch, California. This arrest followed a vehicle chase that involved several law enforcement agencies. Andrews was initially held at the Contra Costa County Jail under a temporary homicide warrant.
The saga of Isaiah Jamon Andrews, a homicide suspect mistakenly freed from a California jail, concluded with his capture by U.S. Marshals. The Seattle Police Department and Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office have both been involved in the case.
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.”