By chewing through her bindings, a 12-year-old girl was able to escape her abductor, who is accused of having tied her to a bedpost and given her wine as a narcotic, according to WSFA.
A criminal complaint submitted to Tallapoosa Circuit Court claims that Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, kidnapped the girl on July 24 and kept her in a “drugged state.”
A passing driver discovered her on the road on Monday morning close to the trailer she had lived in since February with her mother, brother, and the suspect.
The small child, who had broken braces from gnawing out of her restraints, was not reported missing, according to the authorities, who also noted that “deputies discovered markings on the victim’s wrists suggestive of being tied.”
Take a look at the press conference below.
Reyes was transferred to the Tallapoosa County Jail and apprehended by State Marshalls and the Auburn Police Department the day following the preteen’s escape. He had been recognized by the state, local, and federal investigators.
In Dadeville, Alabama, on Tuesday, he was charged with first-degree kidnapping, two counts of capital murder, and two charges of abuse of a corpse (August 2).
When authorities looked into Reyes’ mobile home, they found two decaying remains. The bodies were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences, where they were recognized as those of the girl’s murdered mother and brother, whom authorities suspect he murdered.
According to the criminal complaints submitted on Wednesday (August 3), the suspect is charged with strangling Sandra Vazquez Ceja, 34, with a pillow and dismembering her body “to hide [the] evidence.”
The younger victim was described in court documents as a youngster under the age of 14, and a complaint claimed that the suspect killed him by “hitting him with his hands and feet.” According to reports, his body was dismembered in an effort to hide the murder.
Other occupants were present when police arrived at Reyes’ mobile home, but Abbett did not say if they would face charges or be looked into.
12-year-old girl chewed through restraints in escape from captivity in Alabama home
The victim was found walking on a road Monday morning, leading to the discovery of two decomposing bodies inside a nearby home owned by Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37.https://t.co/IlOwLiXq0l pic.twitter.com/PrPeUcmTO3
— CatT Reigning Typo Queen🌻👑 (@typo_cat) August 3, 2022
Authorities also withheld any additional details about the young girl’s horrifying ordeal, although they did say during the news conference on Wednesday that she was “safe now” and had gotten “medical attention” (August 3).
“We want to keep her that way,” Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said, as he described the girl as a “hero” and said they will withhold details for her protection.
At the news conference, the sheriff also stressed the significance of speaking out when you notice something is wrong, saying: “We try to preach this, if you see something you need to say something.”
“You don’t need to go down the road and say, ‘What should I have done’ and then you find out this happened – because I’m sure that there’s more motorist who passed her that day,” he added when mentioning how a passerby helped the young girl.
Homeland Security is assisting the regional agency with the investigation while Reyes is now detained and awaiting a bond hearing.