12-Year-Old Escapes Alabama Kidnapper by Chewing Off Restraints, Leads Police to 2 Dead Bodies

A 12-year-old girl's escape from her kidnapper by chewing off her restraints has led to the discovery of two corpses in a nearby house in rural Alabama Monday, Aug. 1, 2022.

According to CNN, the Tallapoosa County police received a call about a girl wandering by herself on County Road 34 at around 8:30 a.m. A passing motorist stayed with her until the authorities arrived.

She was taken to the hospital for medical attention and told the police of her ordeal. The 12-year-old girl said she was kidnapped about a week ago and was tied to a bedpost. Her wrist showed marks of restraint.

The victim said her kidnapper gave her alcohol, and she was constantly in a "drugged state." She recalled getting hit in the head and breaking her braces while chewing the rope.

There were no reports of a missing child fitting her description.

Police then arrested her kidnapper, Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, while he was at work at a construction site. He was subsequently charged with murder, abuse of corpses, and kidnapping, after the discovery of two bodies at his mobile home. He is currently at a Tallapoosa County jail, awaiting his bond hearing.

Read Also: Daughter Kidnapped at Birth Wants Fake Father, Her Kidnapper's Husband, to Walk Her Down the Aisle

Identities of dismembered bodies of woman and child released

According to NBC News, the bodies found at the kidnapper's property belonged to Sandra Vazquez Ceja, Reyes' girlfriend, and her 14-year-old son. The police believe Pascual-Reyes smothered Ceja with a pillow while her son was struck hard. To hide the evidence, Reyes allegedly cut up their bodies.

Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett described the crime as "horrendous." The police did not confirm if the kidnapped child knew Pascual-Reyes or the two deceased, but reports have cited that she is Ceja's daughter. This explained why there were no missing reports on her. 

Abbett hailed the child as a hero and said she is now safe with child welfare officials.

Other people were living on the Alabama property, but the police did not say if they would also be charged. Investigations are ongoing alongside the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI. A forensics team is still trying to determine how long the bodies had been hidden.

The motive for Baby Brandon's kidnapping discovered

Meanwhile, across the state, officials of Santa Clara County have uncovered the motive behind the kidnapping of three-month-old baby Brandon Cuellar, who was taken inside the house while his grandmother, Victoria Mejia, was unloading items from her car.

According to SFist, the kidnapping mastermind was Yesenia Guadalupe Ramirez, 44, who knew the grandmother and the baby's mom, Jessica Ayala. Ramirez allegedly came up with a complicated scheme to entrap one of her many boyfriends, Francisco Marquez, by claiming the baby was his child.

One of the men who took the baby, Roman Portillo, was also a boyfriend and had tried to kidnap Brandon four times before. He succeeded on the fifth try, but the baby was rescued the next day, following a tip from his neighbors.

Ramirez and Portillo will be sentenced in October as they didn't contest the charges laid before them.

Related Article: Baby Brandon Cuellar Rescued, Suspects Arrested in San Jose 3-Month-Old Kidnapping

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