The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation and the Pearl River County Sheriff’s Department are looking for a person of interest after a woman was found walking on the side of Highway 11 near Poplarville suffering from severe burns.

Sheriff David Allison said the person of interest is 42-year-old Jerry Willis and asks anyone with information about his whereabouts to call the Sheriff’s Department at 601-798-5528.

Investigators would like to speak with Willis concerning a 46-year-old Stacy Frank being found severely burned and half naked walking down Highway 11 about a mile north of the Pearl River County Hospital and Nursing Home near Springhill Road.

A passerby reported seeing the woman Wednesday night just after 11 and said they saw a small fire nearby, Allison said. A Poplarville Police officer found the woman about 10 minutes later and noted that her clothes had been burned off and she was suffering from burns. The officer then took the woman to the nearby hospital for treatment, Allison said. Her condition is unknown at this time.

Deputies responded to the hospital and determined a crime occurred along Highway 11, leading the department to contact the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation. Allison said MBI has taken the lead in the case, but the Sheriff’s Department is assisting. Allison said.

Attempts to contact MBI for comment have not been returned at this time.