Mississippi State Penitentiary inmate Michael Dowda remains at-large after he escaped in a truck from a work detail Saturday afternoon in Parchman, the state's correction and rehabilitation department said.

Dowda, who recently turned 48, was reported missing from a work detail at around 3 p.m. Saturday.

He was last seen on penitentiary grounds wearing a MDOC state-issued green and white striped pants with a white MDOC shirt.

Dowda allegedly broke into a safe inside the home, on the prison grounds, of a state corrections employee and stole two handguns. The truck has a Yalobusha County disability plate with a tag number of 0922. The truck also has a silver toolbox.

Dowda is serving a life sentence for murder from Harrison County.

He is 5-foot-11 with  a large build, about 195 pounds. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He also had a tattoo on the top left side of his chest.

The state's Corrections Investigation Division and the U.S. Marshal's Service are aggressively pursuing Dowda.

He is considered armed and dangerous.

An investigation into his escape is ongoing.

If you spot Dowda or the Chevy Silverado truck, you are urged to call 9-1-1, your local law enforcement or Mississippi Department of Corrections at 601-573-5613 or 662-745-6611.

Parchman is located about 100 miles south of Memphis.