Statewide BOLO Issued For Escaped Clayton County Inmate

CLAYTON COUNTY, GA — The Georgia Department of Corrections has issued a statewide alert for a prison inmate they say never returned from a work detail last week. In addition, the missing inmate has been named as a suspect in a Florida homicide.

Authorities have issued a bulletin for Stephen Michael Smith, 34, of LaGrange, Georgia, who failed to return from a work release program at the Clayton Transitional Center, where he was serving his sentence for robbery, the Georgia Department of Corrections wrote on Facebook.

Smith is wanted in Clayton County for the death of Daniel Lee Upton, 30, of Lakeland, Florida, whose body was discovered Monday morning in Gulf County, the AJC reported.

The Gulf County Sheriff’s Office said it is investigating a homicide that occurred shortly after 10 a.m. Monday morning on St. Joe Beach in Florida.

Investigators identified Smith as the shooter, the Sheriff's Office said.

Smith is described as a white male, about 5’10” tall and weighs about 170 pounds. He has brown hair and green eyes.

The Troup County Sheriff's Office said on Facebook they spoke to the Gulf County Sheriff's Office were told they have no information that Smith is headed to the Troup County area. However, they said that is a possibility since he has connections to the LaGrange area.

The Georgia Department of Corrections says to not approach him, but instead call 478-992-5111. The U.S. Marshals Service has offered a $10,000 reward, the AJC reported.