By C1 Staff
TULSA, Okla. — The family of Ashley Taylor received a terrifying message Tuesday night: their daughter’s killer had been released from prison.
NBC news reports that Kevin Sweat was sentenced to life in prison, but a messaging service called VINE informed the Taylors that he had been released from custody.
VINE is a service where family members can sign up to find out the release dates or transfers of convicted criminals.
But Sweat was never released. Instead, he had only been transported from Lexington Assessment and Reception Center to the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester.
“I was scared to death,” said Faye Taylor, Ashley’s stepmother, describing the period of time when they thought Sweat was a free man. “I was emotionally distraught. I was afraid of our lives, our families’ lives. I just didn’t know what to do, where to go.”
They have since been informed that the message was sent in error, but the family hopes that the DOC takes better steps to communicate with victim’s families in the future.
Sweat was sentenced to life in prison for the 2008 murders of Ashley Taylor, Taylor Paschal-Placker and Skyla Whitaker.