An escaped jail inmate eager to surrender because of bitter cold had to go door-to-door asking to use a telephone before somebody finally called police.

Rejected by frightened residents near Valdosta early Saturday, Billy Tyrone Williams, 20, had to knock on several doors before finding someone willing to help him get back behind bars.

Williams, serving a life sentence for numerous convictions, spent two days hiding in freezing temperatures, said Sheriff Ashley Paulk.

The Southeast has been gripped by a cold wave spreading freezing temperatures as far south as Florida.