Authorities in Alabama called a 12-year-old girl a hero after she escaped her kidnapper and helped expose a suspected murderer on Monday.
According to NBC affiliate WSFA, the child was tied up and drugged with alcohol in the home of 37-year-old Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes for about one week.
An affidavit said the girl was assaulted and tied to a bed until she chewed her way out of the restraints, breaking her braces in the process.
Once she was free, a driver noticed the girl wandering down a County Road 34 south of Dadeville, Alabama. Tallapoosa County deputies were called to the area and took her to get medical treatment.
“I would say she’s a hero, and it’s one of those things that we don’t want to get into until later,” Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said. “We gave her medical attention, and she is safe now, and so we want to keep her that way.”
Bodies found after 12-year-old girl escapes kidnapper by chewing restraints: sheriff
Authorities in Alabama called a 12-year-old girl a hero after she escaped her kidnapper and helping expose a suspected murderer Monday.
Inside the house where she was held captive, deputies found two decomposing bodies.
U.S Marshals and the Auburn Police Department Pascual-Reyes into custody Monday in Auburn. He’s charged with first-degree kidnapping in addition to more serious charges for the two decomposing bodies found at his home.
“At this time, we’re looking at multiple counts of capital murder,” said Tallapoosa County District Attorney Jeremy Duerr. “And of course, once we continue and finish our investigation, I feel certain that several more charges will follow.”
The sheriff said the girl had not been reported as a missing person, and it’s still unclear who she is and investigators haven’t identified the two bodies.
Kidnapped child escapes captor in Alabama; girl was tied to bedpost for nearly a week and chewed through restraints
A 12-year-old escaped her kidnapper after being tied up for a week
