Alabama inmate convicted of murder on the loose after escaping custody

A convicted murderer is on the loose after escaping from a work-release facility in Alabama, officials said.

Daniel Miner, 43, was reported missing from his bed on Saturday night during a count of inmates at the state-run facility in the town of Alpine, about 40 miles southeast of Birmingham, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections. It's unclear how the inmate escaped.

Miner is serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole after being convicted of murder in Marshall County in 1994. He was also sentenced on a promoting prison contraband charge in Limestone County in 2003, according to inmate records.

The Marshall County Sheriff's Office said it is working with state authorities to locate the escaped inmate.

Miner was last seen wearing a white state-issued prison uniform. He is described as a white man who is 5-foot-6-inches tall and weighs 192 pounds. He has "white power" tattoos and others on his neck, arms, torso and back, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections.

Miner's custody level is listed as "minimum-out," which the Alabama Department of Corrections describes on its website as "appropriate for inmates that do not pose a significant risk to self or others and suitable to be assigned off-property work details without the direct supervision of correctional officers."

The Childersburg Community Based Facility and Community Work Center in Alpine, from which Miner escaped, is a minimum-security institution where inmates may be assigned to work for various government agencies for paid employment, while inmates in the work-release program work for private employers in the community, according to the Alabama Department of Corrections website.

Anyone who sees Miner or may have information on his whereabouts is urged to contact the Alabama Department of Corrections at 1-800-831-8825 or call 911.