A woman who reportedly had been a fugitive with her boyfriend after a three-county car chase and ensuing manhunt Thursday has surrendered to law enforcement.
Emily Cockerham, 37, of 2738 Highway 35 S., Holcomb, was arrested at 5:55 a.m. Friday at a residence near Ascalmore Creek Road and Highway 35, said Tallahatchie County Sheriff Jimmy Fly.
"She showed up at the house and told them that she wanted them to call us, and she wanted to turn herself in," noted Fly, who said it is believed the homeowner was a friend of Cockerham.
Fly said Cockerham did not reveal why she gave up.
"She had scratches, and it looked like she had been in the woods for a good while. She was starting to get dehydrated," he said. "I feel she just felt like it was in her best interest to go ahead and give up."
Fly said Tallahatchie County lawmen transported Cockerham to the Tallahatchie County Jail in Charleston and held her until Yalobusha County lawmen came to transport her to the Yalobusha County Detention Center in Water Valley.
In Yalobusha County, Cockerham faces charges of accessory after the fact, and aiding and abetting Sam Seymore in his flight from justice.
Seymore, 49, of 2738 Highway 35 S., Holcomb, is wanted in Yalobusha County on warrants for multiple grand larceny charges and attempted aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and in Tallahatchie County for burglary of a commercial building and petty larceny, remained at large as of noon Friday, Fly said.
Cockerham also faces Tallahatchie County charges of burglary and petty larceny in the same case as Seymore, he added.
"I'm not sure if she has agreed to cooperate or not" with information about Seymore, Fly said, explaining that Yalobusha County officials would be interviewing Cockerham. "To my knowledge, she hasn't made any type of statement."
At about 8:30 a.m. Thursday, a car chase ensued after Yalobusha County deputies had tried to stop Seymore's pickup truck, in which Cockerham reportedly was a passenger, in the Tillatoba area of Yalobusha County. The pursuit carried into Grenada County before finally ending on Ascalmore Creek Road near Smith Road in Tallahatchie County, where lawmen found Seymore's truck abandoned at 9:43 a.m.
K-9 units from Panola County and the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman were brought in to aid local law enforcement in a widespread search for the pair, who had fled into adjacent woods. Fly has said it is unknown whether Seymore is armed.
Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in Thursday's organized hunt, including a contingent from the U.S. Marshals Service who were in Oxford on another matter when they learned of the search and offered their services.
The search was postponed shortly before 10 p.m. due to darkness and the fact "the K-9 trail that we had went cold," Fly said, noting that the last K-9 indication of Seymore's presence was in the area of Pressgrove Road near Poplar Springs Cemetery.
The sheriff issued a statement Thursday night advising residents of the search area to remove the keys from their vehicles and to lock them.
He said Friday that officials are continuing to look for Seymore through stepped-up patrols of the area.
"If anyone has any information, please contact the Sheriff's Office at 662-647-5511 or 662-647-3700," Fly noted.
