( CNN ) -- Florida authorities on Saturday evening arrested two convicted murderers who had been on the lam after being released from prison with forged documents , a state agency said . Charles Walker and Joseph Jenkins were taken into custody `` without incident '' at 6:40 p.m. at Panama City 's Coconut Grove Motor Inn , the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said . Members of that agency and the U.S . Marshals Service found and detained the two men , the agency said . Walker and Jenkins are expected to appear in court Sunday morning at the Bay County Courthouse in Panama City . The state Department of Corrections -- which mistakenly released the men though it has insisted through no fault of its own -- said little about the arrests . `` We are , of course , happy they have been taken into custody , '' agency spokeswoman Jessica Carey said . Authorities have been searching for Walker and Jenkins , both 34 , after investigators discovered forged motions to reduce their respective sentences and forged court orders granting the requests . Earlier Saturday , family members of both men appealed for them to turn themselves in to authorities . `` We just want you to surrender yourself to someone you trust who will bring you back in safely , '' Walker 's mother , Lillie Danzy , said at a news conference outside the Orange County Sheriff 's Department in Orlando . Jenkins ' uncle , Henry Pearson , also urged the men to give their families some peace . Both families denied any knowledge in the escape plan , telling investigators and reporters they first learned of the releases in telephone calls from the Franklin Correctional Institution with news they could pick up their family member . Danzy appears to have questioned the call , telephoning the prison twice to make sure it was legitimate . `` The family believed their prayers had been answered , '' a spokeswoman for Danzy said . The two men , according to family members , disappeared shortly after their return . In September 1998 , Jenkins killed Roscoe Pugh Jr. during a home-invasion robbery attempt . Six months later , Cedric Slater was gunned down on an Orlando street corner -- shot dead , a jury determined , by Walker . Both killers were convicted and sentenced to life behind bars without the possibility of parole within two years of their crime . While it 's not known whether they knew each other , they were at the same prison in North Carrabelle in Florida 's Panhandle . Jenkins left there on September 27 , and Walker left on October 8 , according to authorities . They had motions indicating the sentences had been reduced as well as court orders granting the request . Investigators later discovered these documents were forged . The legal-looking documents contained bogus reproductions of several key players ' signatures , including those of the Orlando-area State Attorney Jeffrey Ashton or the assistant state attorney and Judge Belvin Perry . They bore the seal of the Orange County clerk of court 's office . Perry told CNN his signature is easy to find online on documents related to the high-profile trial of Casey Anthony . Anthony was acquitted in the death of her 2-year-old daughter , Caylee . `` People , particularly people with criminal minds , come up with ingenious ways to beat the system , '' Perry said . `` They have nothing but time on their hands to think of things . '' Prosecutors first learned about what happened after a member of Walker 's family contacted them , Ashton said . An October 8 letter from the Department of Corrections to Slater 's mother , Evangelina Kearse , notified her a `` court order and amended sentence caused ( Walker 's ) sentence to expire . '' `` Please be aware that recent actions causing the release of this offender are beyond our control . Nevertheless , we apologize for the delay in this message , '' it said . Both Walker and Jenkins appeared to play by the rules after their release . They both went to the Orange County jail to register as felons -- Jenkins on September 30 , Walker on October 11 -- as required by law . While their releases may have initially seemed legitimate , the two convicts later were classified as escapees . CNN 's Nick Valencia , John Zarrella , Kim Segal and David Simpson contributed to this report .
NEW : Charles Walker and Charles Walker are set to appear in court September 27 . Fugitives were found at motel in Florida , Florida , authorities say . Jenkins was freed September 27 ; Joseph Jenkins on September 27 . Family members of two men say they learned of the release in call from prison officials .