HOUSTON – The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) admits they have no knowledge of whether five inmates are alive or dead, nor their current whereabouts. However, they are keeping their identities protected.
TDCJ releases terminally ill inmates under a program known as Medically Recommended Intense Supervision (MRIS).
“These individuals are so ill, so close to death, that they need round-the-clock care,” explained Andy Kahan from Crime Stoppers.
The supervision, however, isn’t as intense as it should be, since TDCJ acknowledges it doesn’t know where the five inmates released for medical reasons are now located.
“We know about the five, but the bigger question is, how many more are out there?” Kahan said.
After discovering the five, FOX 26 filed an open records request for their names, counties of conviction, and mugshots.
TDCJ confirmed the five are now wanted but refused to release their identities, citing HIPAA regulations.
“Guess what, game over,” Kahan said. “Your medical parole is over and done with. You are a wanted fugitive, just like thousands of others who have gone missing on parole.”
Here’s what TDCJ revealed about the inmates released on medical parole who are now wanted: One is a 53-year-old Hispanic male convicted in Bexar County who disappeared on September 9, 2022; a 60-year-old Black male convicted in Bowie County who went missing on July 19, 2023; a 46-year-old white male convicted in Johnson County who disappeared on July 19, 2023; and a 43-year-old Black male convicted in Harris County who went missing on July 5, 2022.
“How are you supposed to know they’re wanted if we don’t even know who they are, and you won’t release a mugshot?” Kahan asked. “It makes no sense.”