A 12-year-old girl who had been held captive was found walking along a road in rural Alabama on Monday after escaping from a nearby home, leading authorities to discover two decomposing bodies where the ‘had arrested
The Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday that Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, of Dadeville, Ala., had been arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping, three counts of capital murder and two counts of abuse of Corpse.
It was not clear if Mr. Pascual-Reyes had a lawyer.
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said at a news conference that shortly before 8:30 a.m. Monday, a driver noticed a girl walking on a road near 3547 County Road 34 in Dadeville, Alabama , and called 911.
Responding officers gave the girl medical treatment and began to investigate, the sheriff said. Once inside the home, officials said, they found two decomposing bodies.
Court documents said the girl had been tied to the bedposts for nearly a week while she was assaulted and drugged by alcohol. according to WSFA, a Montgomery television station. The girl managed to break free and escape by chewing her restraints, according to the documents.
Sheriff Abbett declined to provide details about when the girl may have been abducted, the relationship between her and Mr. Pascual-Reyes or details about the two bodies, including identification and cause of death.
Authorities said the girl, who had not been reported missing, was “doing well.”
“She’s a hero,” Sheriff Abbett said. “She’s safe and we want to keep her that way.”
Sheriff Abbett said he believed Mr. Pascual-Reyes had been living at the home since February. He added that there were other people at the residence when authorities arrived, but the sheriff did not elaborate.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, along with numerous local agencies, are helping to investigate.
