VICKSBURG – Deputies are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the arrest of a man they believe beat a Natchez woman and left her &uot;for dead&uot; off U.S 61 near Vicksburg.

Warren County Sheriff’s Deputies began looking for Edward D. Wells, 28, last week after his girlfriend, Patty Rabb, was found beaten and lying at the bottom of an embankment about 50 yards from the highway July 22.

&uot;We are actively working (this case) because she was injured pretty bad,&uot; said Jay McKenzie, chief investigator of the Warren County Sheriff’s Department. &uot;We feel he left her for dead.&uot;

Since the assault, deputies think Wells may learned that&160;Rabb survived the attack.

The sheriff’s department issued a warrant for Wells arrest last week charging him with aggravated assault.

&uot;We’re a few steps behind him,&uot; McKenzie said. &uot;With this reward, we’re hoping to get some more current information on where he is.&uot;

McKenzie could not give specifics about where investigators are looking, but said they think Wells is located in one of three areas in the country.

Family members and officials say Wells and Rabb had just moved to Vicksburg recently to find work.

Deputies believe Rabb was physically assaulted causing injuries to her back, face and head. They also think someone intentionally dropped her 25-feet, down the dirt embankment.

Rabb’s family members, said she was still listed in critical condition Monday at Central Mississippi Medical Center, in Jackson.

Rabb remains paralyzed from the chest down, they said.

The reward is being provided through Vicksburg Crime Stoppers. All calls are anonymous. Anyone with information is asked to call the Warren County Sheriff’s Department at 601-636-1761.