A 12-year-old girl who escaped from her captor and was found walking along an Alabama road on Monday morning successfully led police to discover two decomposing bodies in a rural residence, officials said.
The unnamed girl is believed to have been kidnapped by Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett told a news conference on Tuesday. Read more: Sextortion cases rising in Canada as online crime swelled during COVID pandemic, report Pascual-Reyes was arrested on a kidnapping charge, though District Attorney Jeremy Duerr said “multiple” additional charges are expected, including capital murder.
Abbett called the 12-year-old girl “a hero.” The girl was discovered by a passing motorist in Dadeville, Ala., around 8:30 a.m., court records claim.
The motorist called 911 and the girl received medical attention when authorities arrived. She led police to a mobile home south of Dadeville in a rural area, where police later found the two decomposing bodies.