Escaped Texas inmate who was serving life without parole for child sexual abuse has been recaptured

BRAZORIA, Texas (AP) — A man serving life without parole was recaptured Monday after escaping from prison in southeast Texas, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

Robert Yancy Jr., 39, was captured shortly after 8 a.m. in Matagorda County, according to TDCJ spokesperson Amanda Hernandez.

Hernandez said Yancy was arrested at a park in Palacios, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) west of the Texas Department of Corrections’ Clemens Unit after two civilians recognized him and called police.

Yancy is serving life without parole after his 2022 conviction of sexual abuse of a child in Victoria County.

Yancy escaped from the prison Sunday afternoon and Hernandez said two people, including his mother, suspected of helping Yancy escape have been arrested.

“She (his mother) came to the unit and she was wearing a black sweater and a beanie,” Hernandez said. “He put that on and was able to leave the unit with her, just walked out of the unit and left.”

Court records do not show that formal charges have been filed against either of the two suspected accomplices.