Details released on arrest in Mississippi of pair wanted in Colorado

The Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department announced that the pair being sought out of Colorado have been taken into custody.

Johnny Rankin Morris and Hailey Diane Cole are wanted in connection with a missing person and a possible homicide in El Paso County, Colorado. They were spotted in Lamar County over the weekend. Morris has ties to Stone County and Pearl River County.

Sheriff David Allison said in a press release that based on information from Colorado investigators and leads sent in by Pearl River County residents, the Sheriff’s Office began a search of the county in areas associated with Morris and Cole.

About 8:15 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office received a call from a resident saying that a man matching the description of Morris was trying to break into her vehicle. Deputies and Picayune Police officers responded and began searching the area. Morris and Cole were discovered about 9 a.m. in a shed and were taken into custody without incident.

Both were taken to the Pearl River County jail on outstanding Mississippi warrants from the Department of Corrections for failure to appear, Lamar County for receiving stolen property and Wiggins Police for contempt of court, failure to appear.

Pearl River Sheriff’s Office is in contact with Colorado law enforcement as well.

Hailey Cole.