A 12-year-old Alabama girl chewed through restraints that had kept her tied to bed posts for nearly a week, escaping the clutches of a man who is now charged with her kidnapping as well as the murder of two people whose bodies were found inside the home.
Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, was arrested in Auburn later on Monday and brought back to Tallapoosa County, where he is awaiting a bond hearing, WSFA said.
Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said deputies were called to County Road 34 south of Dadeville at about 8:30 a.m. Monday after a motorist found the girl walking down the road. She was taken to a hospital for medical help.
According to court documents, the girl told investigators she’d been held captive for a week, all the while kept drugged with alcohol and repeatedly assaulted.
When deputies conducted a search of Pascual-Reyes’s home, they found two decomposing bodies. Abbett said it wasn’t clear how long the bodies had been there and that the remains were taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsies and identification.
Deputies set out to find the suspect, identified as Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37. He was located by US Marshals and the Auburn Police Department in Auburn, about 25 miles from Dadeville, and brought back to Tallapoosa County, where he awaits a bond hearing.
He’s been charged with multiple counts of capital murder and one count of first-degree kidnapping. It’s known known if there’s a connection between the girl and Pascual-Reyes.
As for the 12-year-old girl, Abbett called her a “hero” but declined to provide further information, AL.com reported.
“It’s a fluid investigation,” the sheriff said. “Things are changing, and I don’t want to jeopardize the identification of our juvenile.”
“I would say she’s a hero,” he said. “It’s one of those things we won’t get into until later.”
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[Featured image: Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes/Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office]
