Search continues for escapee from Illinois Youth Center

Police are still on the hunt for a 19-year-old man who escaped from a juvenile detention facility in St. Charles late Monday, state prison officials said.

Denzell Walker left the medium-security Illinois Youth Center at 10 p.m. Monday and has not returned, authorities said.

Walker is black, 5 feet 11 inches tall, 140 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue jumpsuit.

Walker was brought to the facility Thursday for a parole violation because of an arrest on burglary charges, Michael Theodore, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice, said in a news release.

Theodore declined to comment on how Walker escaped.

"While details of the escape are still under investigation, the department is working closely with local law enforcement to conduct an extensive search of the area," according to the department's release.

The public is warned to "exercise caution" and asked to contact law enforcement immediately with information.

Assisting in the search for Walker are St. Charles police, the Kane County and DuPage County sheriff's departments, the Department of Corrections Apprehension Unit, and state police.