Tommy Wayne Boyd, 45, walked out of the hospital Thursday morning, police said.
The manhunt for a convicted child sex offender who escaped custody while receiving treatment at a St. Louis hospital is over, police said.
St. Louis County Police posted on X (formally known as Twitter) On Thursday night, “Boyd was located and taken into custody without incident.”
Tommy Wayne Boyd, 45, an inmate at the Potosi Correctional Center, is serving a 30-year sentence for seducing a child, online inmate records show.
He was receiving medical treatment at Mercy Hospital South when he left the hospital, according to the St. Louis County Police Department. Boyd was last seen by hospital staff on Thursday at 3:54 a.m. local time, police said.
“Surveillance video shows Boyd leaving the hospital on foot, traveling in an unknown direction,” St. Louis County police said in a statement. statement.
Two Missouri Department of Corrections officers were guarding Boyd when he escaped and there was no physical confrontation, the hospital said.
“Police searched the campus and our security team searched every building on campus and found no evidence that he is still here,” Mercy Hospital said in a statement. “We continue to assist St. Louis County Police in their search and investigation.”
Police released surveillance footage of Boyd at the hospital.
The Department of Corrections is investigating how Boyd managed to escape, St. Louis County Lt. Col. Jason Law told reporters during a briefing Thursday.
Police thanked everyone for their help in capturing Boyd: “Thank you to the media and our community who provided numerous tips to help locate this dangerous criminal. Our residents are safer tonight with Boyd in custody.
Police employed flight operations and canine units, Law said. The Missouri State Highway Patrol, the State Department of Corrections and the U.S. Marshals Service are assisting in the search, she said, adding that they have the resources to continue the search “indefinitely.”
At the time of the search, police said it was unknown whether Boyd was armed, but that he should be considered “dangerous.”
“We urge residents to remain vigilant as our officers search for Mr. Boyd,” police said on social media. “Make sure your homes and garages are safe. Keep an eye on children at bus stops.”
Lindbergh Schools, a school district in the hospital area, said all of its schools were on “lockdown” Thursday “out of an abundance of caution” amid the search. Schools remained open, but all students and staff remained indoors until further notice, the district said.
boyd is list on the state’s sex offender registry after being convicted of statutory sodomy. The crime was committed in Springfield, Missouri, in 1996, when he was 18, online records show. The victim was an 11-year-old boy, records state. He pleaded guilty in 1997 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison, online court records show.
In 2007, a jury found him guilty of enticing a child and he was sentenced to 30 years in prison, according to online court records.
ABC News’ Victoria Arancio contributed to this report.