Child discovery leads Alabama deputies to 2 bodies, arrest

TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - A man is facing multiple charges after a child, found walking alone Monday night, led investigators to a horrific discovery.

Sheriff Jimmy Abbett has confirmed the arrest of Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37. The man is being held on three counts of capital murder after two decomposing bodies were found, as well as one count of first-degree kidnapping after the child was discovered walking along a roadside. He is also being charged with two counts of abuse of corpse.

Abbett said deputies were called just before 8:30 a.m. to County Road 34, just south of Dadeville, after a report of a 12-year-old girl wandering down the road. The child was taken from the area for medical help.

Abbett called the child a “hero” for what she endured. Court filings indicate she’d been tied to bed posts for nearly a week. During that time, she was assaulted and kept in a drugged state through the use of alcohol.

The child managed to escape, the documents revealed, only after chewing through her restraints.

The affidavit, Abbett added, allowed the sheriff’s department to arrest Reyes and complete a search of his home, located in the 3500 block of County Road 34.

Inside the home, deputies found two decomposing bodies. It’s unclear how long the bodies had been there. Abbett said the victims’ remains have since been taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for autopsies and identification.

Deputies were still at the home processing the scene Tuesday afternoon and are expected to release more details in the coming days, Abbett added.

The U.S. Marshals and the Auburn Police Department took Reyes into custody in Auburn. He was transported to Tallapoosa County, where he awaits a bond hearing.

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