12-Year-Old Girl Escapes Captivity, Investigation Leads Cops To Discover 2 Decomposing Bodies

Tallapoosa County, Alabama -- A 12-year-old girl who was kidnapped managed to escape from captivity and was found walking alone on a roadway in Alabama. An investigation into the girl's kidnapping later led police to discover two decomposing bodies from the house where she was held captive, officials said.

The unidentified 12-year-old girl was seen walking on a road in rural Dadeville on Monday morning. A passerby who noticed the girl picked her up and immediately called 911, Al.com reported.

Responding officers gave the girl medical treatment and searched a nearby house where she was held captive. The deputies then found two decomposing bodies inside the house and the remains were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsies and identification, the report said.

A 37-year-old suspect, identified as José Paulino Pascual-Reyes, of Dadeville, was arrested on charges of first-degree kidnapping, three counts of capital murder and two counts of abuse of a corpse.

During the captivity, the minor girl was reportedly tied to bed posts where she was assaulted and kept drugged for nearly a week. She managed to escape by chewing through her restraints, WSFA 12 reported.

Meanwhile, the investigators didn't release the details about the relationship between Pascual-Reyes and the girl.

"It’s a fluid investigation. Things are changing, and I don’t want to jeopardize the identification of our juvenile," Jimmy Abbett, the Tallapoosa County sheriff, said.

The girl was not reported missing and the officials did not reveal the exact date when she was kidnapped. The identities of the dead bodies and the cause of death are also not known.

The 12-year-old girl is reportedly doing well. "She’s a hero. She’s safe and we want to keep her that way," Abbett said in a press conference, the New York Times reported.

Pascual-Reyes lived at the mobile home since February, police said. When the deputies arrived to search the residence, there were other people at his home. "It’s horrendous to have a crime scene of this nature," Abbett added.

Meanwhile, the case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security, along with multiple local agencies.