JAMESTOWN, Tenn. — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation announced a man who escaped from the Fentress County Jail in July 2021 has been found dead in Mexico.
Charles Kennedy, 35, escaped from the Fentress County Jail on Monday, July 19. Another inmate, Casey Ridenour, escaped with Kennedy but was caught shortly after the escape.
The TBI received information from local authorities on or around November 22 that Kennedy was found dead in Iguala, Guerrero in Mexico. A positive confirmation of Kennedy's identity was sent to the TBI last week.
According to the Fentress County Sheriff's Office, people in Mexico initially contacted Kennedy's family in Morgan County. The Morgan County Sheriff's Office then contacted the TBI, and a special agent began working with the Fentress County District Attorney General's Office, Mexican authorities, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, the FBI and U.S. Marshalls to confirm the identity of the body.
On January 22, the FBI and TBI were able to confirm it was Kennedy's body by using fingerprint and tattoo identification.