New details emerge following capture of murder suspect in Harrison County

New details have emerged following a manhunt that ended with the capture of a murder suspect in Harrison County.

23-year-old Bricen Rivers was taken into custody at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday night after an hours-long search in rural Harrison County by multiple law enforcement agencies. He is now being held at the Harrison County Adult Detention Center on a $1 million bond.

Rivers is accused of killing 22-year-old Lauren Johansen of Hattiesburg. She was identified by Harrison County coroner Brian Switzer.

Rivers ran from Harrison County Sheriff’s Deputies at Wolf River Cemetery near Lizana on Wednesday afternoon after they spotted a vehicle connected to a missing persons case out of Hattiesburg.

Deputies then found Johansen’s body inside that vehicle.

Harrison County Sheriff Matt Haley explained how law enforcement officials learned that Rivers was in the area.

“We actually received a call from Hattiesburg through OnStar, they located the vehicle here at this cemetery,” Haley said. “Officers responded out here, and upon locating the vehicle, they observed a white male running from the vehicle. At that point they walked up to the vehicle and observed there was a deceased subject in the back of the vehicle.”

WXXV News 25 has also learned that Rivers was recently released from a jail in Nashville, Tennessee, where he was being held on an assault charge.

Johansen was originally from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is believed to have been going to school in Hattiesburg.

WXXV News 25 will continue to provide updates on this case as they develop.