A Joplin man, who skipped town while out on bail in a child murder case, has been captured in Texas.
Authorities in Big Spring, Texas, reported the arrest Thursday of Byron D. Lang, 20, on a warrant for second-degree murder. Lang is accused of beating 2-year-old Kyler DeShawn Jones to death while the toddler was left in his care the morning of Sept. 2, 2008.
Jones appeared at a preliminary hearing on the murder charge Aug. 5, 2009, but failed to make subsequent court appearances and the warrant was issued.
Local law enforcement in Texas located Lang in a vehicle after being alerted by the U.S. Marshal’s Service to the possibility that he might be in Big Spring. The Joplin Police Department confirmed the arrest today. Extradition proceedings are anticipated.
