‘No excuse’: Marion County accidentally releases wrong identical twin from jail

INDIANAPOLIS — Marion County officials say an “administrative release error” involving inmates who are identical twin brothers led to the wrong person being released from jail.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office said it identified the error on Friday after Darrell Austin was mistakenly released in place of his identical twin brother, Daron Austin. MCSO said the mistake happened because the brothers “bear very similar names and were in the same facility.”

A bond was reportedly posted for Daron, but “because the two men share nearly indistinguishable physical characteristics,” jail staff retrieved and processed the wrong twin, Darrell, for release.

Darrell Austin was reportedly in custody on theft, criminal mischief and battery by bodily waste charges. Daron Austin, meanwhile, was being held on resisting law enforcement charges.

Upon discovering the error, MCSO staff said they notified the court, got an arrest warrant and sent officers out to find Darrell.

“There’s no excuse — we own it,” said Major Ben Bostock. “This is a highly unusual set of
circumstances. Two people with similar names, the same date of birth, and nearly identical
appearance were in our jail at the same time, and staff were operating under a valid bond. That
being said, it is clear that some policies were not strictly complied with. As such, this matter has
been referred to Internal Affairs and the staff members responsible will be held accountable.”

Around 3:15 p.m. Friday, police officials confirmed that Darrell had been apprehended without incident. MCSO said he is now going to be charged with escape because evidence suggests he “intentionally impersonated his brother during the release process.”

“The individual is expected to face the same court obligations as before, and the MCSO is
working to have him returned to custody,” a news release read.

This is not the first time an inmate has been mistakenly released in Marion County.

Two years ago, Toriano Hellams was accidentally released after being charged with battering a police officer. For more coverage on that 2023 case, click here. Eight days later, Kevin Mason was accidentally released from custody and found two weeks later in St. Paul. More information on that story can be found here.