WOODVILLE — Area authorities are searching for an inmate who took advantage of his father’s death to escape from the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility Friday.

Johnny Hall Jr., 30, escaped from the custody of two officers at approximately 12:30 p.m. while being escorted from his father’s wake at the Picayune Funeral Home in Picayune.

A press release from the Mississippi Department of Corrections says Hall appears to have jumped into a waiting black vehicle with a white, blonde female driver.

Hall, who was serving a 17-year sentence for three convictions of burglary from Pearl River County, has brown eyes, blonde hair and weighs 175 pounds.

He has multiple tattoos, including “Courtney” on his right arm and “Lil Johnny” on his chest.

He was last seen wearing a yellow state issued jumpsuit with the logo “MDOC convict” on the back.

Anyone with information or who sees Hall is asked to contact the Wilkinson County Correctional Facility at 601-888-3199 or MDOC at 662-745-6611.