Police in Kentucky are currently searching for Francisco Starks, a 44-year-old inmate who survived the deadly tornadoes and then escaped from the hospital where he recovered.

Starks was on work release at Mayfield Consumer Products candle factory when it was flattened by a tornado, killing one deputy jailer and causing some inmates to suffer non-life-threatening injuries. He was recovered from the wreckage and taken to Jackson Purchase Medical Center where his injuries were treated. After being released, Starks simply walked away, police said.

According to Graves County Jailer George Workman, seven inmates were working at the factory as part of an agreement with the local jail to help inmates build “a work ethic and hopefully have some funding when they get out.” One factory worker, Kyanna Parsons-Perez, praised the inmates’ handling of the deadly tornado, telling NBC’s Today show they “were working their tails off to get us out. They were helping.”