An abducted 12-year-old found walking down a rural road in Alabama precipitated a jarring discovery, leading authorities to the mobile home where she was being held captive and two decomposing bodies.
The girl, whose name hasn’t been released by police, had allegedly been abducted by Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, on 24 July. Sheriff Jimmy Abbett, with the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, confirmed at a news conference that the accused kidnapper had been arrested and was being held for three counts of capital murder, one count of first-degree kidnapping and two counts of abuse of corpse.
The child was reportedly found ambling down a county road in Dadeville, Alabama, located 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, by a driver who saw the girl and then called 911.
The sheriff recounted how the discovery of the kidnapped child, who there had been no missing report filed for, prompted an investigation, which then led authorities to the mobile home of Pascual-Reyes where they suspect the 12-year-old had been held for more than a week.
Upon arrival, police discovered two decomposing bodies at the home where they believe two other individuals also lived, but who were not present at the time of the search.
Court filings seen by local news outlet WSFA revealed that the child had reportedly been bound to bed posts at the mobile home and had been kept in a drugged state by the repeatedly being given alcohol.
In a daring escape that the sheriff’s office described as “heroic”, the 12-year-old managed to break free after she chewed through the restraints tying her to the bed frame, incurring damage to her braces in the process.
“I would say she’s a hero,’’ Sheriff Abbett said in the press briefing, adding that the office wouldn’t disclose at the time whether the child knew her kidnapper. “It’s a fluid investigation. Things are changing, and I don’t want to jeopardise the identification of our juvenile.”
The child received medical attention and was, according to authorities, “safe now”.
“It’s horrendous to have a crime scene of this nature,’’ the sheriff said, according to AL.com. As of Tuesday afternoon, authorities remained at the site of the mobile home, where Pascual-Reyes had lived since about February, to process the crime scene.
Pascual-Reyes was arrested Tuesday in Auburn, about a 30-minute drive northwest of where the 12-year-old was found walking along the county road the day before.
The identities of the deceased people found inside the mobile home were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for identification. Their cause of death has not been released. A defence lawyer for Pascual-Reyes had also not been named.
Several agencies are assisting in the ongoing investigation, including: the Tallapoosa County District Attorney’s Office, the FBI, the State Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security, the Dadeville Police Department, and the Child Advocacy Center.
Pascual-Reyes remains in the Tallapoosa County Jail pending a bond hearing.
