Alabama girl escapes kidnapper, helps police discover bodies

Rural scene near Gadsden, Alabama. — (Image credit: Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

A 12-year-old girl escaped a kidnapper in rural Alabama by chewing through her restraints, then led police to the mobile where she had been held, where they discovered two decomposing bodies, CNN reports.

Police announced the gruesome discovery on Tuesday, and it was widely reported on Wednesday. The girl was found walking on the side of a road, sparking a 24-hour investigation that led police to the home of José Paulino Pascual-Reyes, Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said. Pascual-Reyes, 37, was arrested and charged with first-degree kidnapping, three counts of capital murder, and two counts of abuse of corpse. The unidentified girl had been tied to bedposts for nearly a week.

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Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.