WALLER COUNTY, Texas – One week after a man escaped from law enforcement custody while at a Bellville hospital, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office released an update on the search.
Salvador Saucedo was able to escape custody around 7 p.m. on Jan. 23 while at Mid Coast Medical Center in Bellville. He was in custody on charges of possession of a controlled substance, resisting arrest, and assault on a peace officer.
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Saucedo is also a registered sex offender. The Waller County Sheriff’s Office said Saucedo is wanted for indecency with a child out of Gonzales County in March of 2024 and stalking in Brazos County in May of 2024. He was also charged with online solicitation of a minor in Brazos County in Dec. of 2023.
Authorities say he was taken to the hospital to undergo testing.
When Saucedo escaped, authorities said he was not handcuffed. Thursday, the Waller County Sheriff’s Office explained he had been in both handcuffs and leg irons when he was brought to the hospital.
According to the sheriff’s office, Saucedo was able to get a piece of hospital equipment that he fashioned into a tool in order to pick the locks on the handcuffs and leg irons.
“Saucedo then fled on foot when the deputy went to the restroom. Hospital staff immediately notified the deputy who gave chase but was never able to catch up and get a direction of travel. A multi-agency manhunt was conducted with K-9′s, drones, air support, marked, and unmarked units. The investigation identified his route of escape from the hospital to the north end of N. Granville St where the area becomes rural and unpopulated,” the sheriff’s office said.
The sheriff’s office says they are considering two possibilities of what may have happened to Saucedo. The first is that he succumbed to the elements due to the temperature, weather, terrain, and isolation of the area he fled in and his remains have yet to be found. The other scenario they are looking at is that somebody helped him and he is still either hiding in the same general area or has been removed from the area and is in an unknown location.
“The Waller County Sheriff’s Office is still conducting operations and interviews to locate the subject and also maintaining undercover patrol of Bellville and surrounding areas. We are still receiving assistance from The Gulf Coast Violent Offender Task Force as well as The Waller County Crime Stoppers who are booth offering monetary rewards,” the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with any information is asked to please call the Waller County Sheriff’s Office at (979)-826-8282 or submit a tip anonymously by calling the Waller County Crime Stoppers at (979)-826-8266.