NASHVILLE, TN (WSMV) - Debra Johnson's family can rest easier tonight, Nashville NBC affiliate WSMV reports. They had been waiting to hear authorities captured Curtis Watson since he escaped Wednesday.
"I can finally breathe, and I thank God that he was captured before her funeral, because it gives us added relief that we can really bury our mother knowing that the person that harmed her has been apprehended," Dr. Shernaye Johnson, Debra Johnson's daughter said.
The news came as Johnson's family was getting her clothes ready for the funeral. For the past few days, they've been on edge.
"We would always sleep with the lights on in every room. We couldn't turn the lights off because we didn't know where he was," Johnson said.
The TBI said Curtis Watson didn't get far.
A Henning couple captured Watson on their home security camera. You could see him rummaging through their outdoor refrigerator.
"I prepared for if he was gonna come inside and called 911. They sent out their representative and from there, with God's help, they got him," Harvey Taylor, who called 911, said.
Investigators said the home is around ten miles from the West Tennessee prison where Watson escaped from earlier in the week. Johnson's family hopes to get some answers from him.
"It just didn't make any sense. You could've went ahead and escaped if that's what you wanted to do, but why did you target my mother? Why was it a priority for you to go there?" Mychal Austin, Debra Johnson's son, said.
Watson being behind bars again gives the Johnson family one step toward closure. Their focus now shifts to saying goodbye to a mother and grandmother.
"She was humble in life, but we can't let you be humble in death, because you were amazing," Austin said.
A GoFundMe account has been set up to help Debra Johnson's family.
Funeral arrangements for the Tennessee Department of Correction Administrator were announced Saturday.
Visitation will be held Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, 3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., at 15th Avenue Baptist Church, 1203 9th Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37208.
Visitation will be held Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., and the Funeral Service will be held at 12:00 p.m. at The Temple Church, 3810 Kings Lane, Nashville, TN 37218.