(CNN) Authorities in western Tennessee are searching for a inmate who escaped Wednesday, the day a longtime corrections official was found dead in her home on the grounds of the prison.

Officials discovered the body of Debra Johnson, a employee of 38 years who oversaw the facilities in the western part of the state, Wednesday morning about 11:30. They believe Johnson, 64, was the victim of a homicide. A Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman said Thursday that escaped inmate Curtis Ray Watson is a suspect in Johnson's death.

Watson, who was serving a 15-year sentence for especially aggravated kidnapping, was discovered missing when officials put the facility on lockdown and conducted a check of inmates.

The total reward for information leading to his capture and arrest is $32,500, according to the TBI.

"Today we lost a very beloved and respected member of our TDOC family," the Tennessee Department of Corrections said in a statement. "We are extremely saddened by this tragic loss and committed to working with our law enforcement in bringing the person responsible to justice."

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