Convicted murderer vanishes from facility, setting off manhunt, Georgia authorities say
UPDATE: Charles Smith, a convicted murderer who escaped from the Atlanta Transitional Facility, was recaptured on Saturday, April 8, in Lawrenceville by the Gwinnett County Police Department, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
The original story continues below.
A murder parolee wandered away from an Atlanta facility and hasn’t been seen since, according to the Georgia Department of Corrections.
Now a statewide search is underway.
A “BOLO” alert was issued Wednesday, April 5, for Charles Smith, 51, after he disappeared from the Atlanta Transitional Center, the department said.
Smith is 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs around 200 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. Authorities said he was last seen wearing black pants and a black shirt.
The Atlanta Transitional Center is a minimum security facility that provides programs to “prepare adult male felons who are nearing the end of their incarceration to assume responsible citizenship,” according to the DOC’s website.
It’s not clear how Smith, who was granted parole in March 2021, walked away from the facility without anyone noticing.
The 51-year-old was convicted of murder from a crime in 1992 and sentenced to life in prison, according to online records. He was was incarcerated from 1994 to 2021 before being granted parole.
Authorities said Smith should not be approached.
Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 911, or the Georgia Department of Corrections at 478-992-5111.
This story was originally published April 6, 2023 at 7:44 AM with the headline "Convicted murderer vanishes from facility, setting off manhunt, Georgia authorities say."