Authorities in Alabama are on the hunt for a convicted kidnapper who was mistakenly released from jail Friday. Matthew Amos Burke, 35, pleaded guilty to the 2020 kidnapping and ransoming of Elton B. Stephens, a businessman in Birmingham, and was sentenced to 17 years. His girlfriend was sentenced to 12 for her role in the scheme. It’s unclear what led to the mixup and Burke’s release from Jefferson County Jail, and the U.S. Marshals, who had placed him on a detainer in November, have not commented.
