Homicide suspect accidentally released from Indianapolis jail, manhunt underway

Authorities were quickly made aware of the mistake and launched a "round-the-clock" manhunt, however the public was not informed until six days later.

According to CNN, there were three holds on Mason's file, one for each warrant. A Marion County sherrif's clerk believed she was amending duplicate bookings for Mason and removed two of the holds, and the following day, a Minnesota clerk did away with the third. The pair have since been fired, and an internal investigation has been launched to determine how the mistake was made.

"This was an error," Col. James Martin said. "This should not have happened. Mason should not have been released from our custody."

He justified the decision to wait to tell the public about Mason's release by saying authorities wanted to maintain a "tactical advantage" by tricking the 5'9 205 pound inmate into beliving he was home free.

"We have used this time as the quietness of the situation to not further run him underground and send him running further than what we wanted him to," Martin explained.

The colonal pointed out that authorites "do not have any information that leads us to believe that the public is in any immediate danger at this time," but urged people not to approach Mason "in any form or fashion."

On Wednesday, a woman believed to be Mason's girlfriend was arrested on suspicion of helping him escape. After being released, he allegedly called her for a ride. She has "not cooperated" with authorities, and is being held without bond.