Law enforcement officials announced that the five-year-old boy who has been held hostage in a bunker in Midland City, Ala., for six days has been released. And that the hostage taker, Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, is dead.
Law enforcement officials announced that the five-year-old boy who has been held hostage in a bunker in Midland City, Ala., for six days has been released. And that the hostage taker, Jimmy Lee Dykes, 65, is dead.
Dykes boarded a bus last week and shot the driver, Chuck Poland, who was trying to protect the children. He then kidnapped Ethan (whose last name has not been given), taking him to his property and holding the boy in a homemade bunker. The FBI were in contact with Dykes the whole time, sending Ethan toys, medicine and snacks through a ventilation pipe.
The authorities decided to enter the bunker when negotiations deteriorated and Dykes was seen holding a gun. The boy was taken to a hospital and deemed to be physically unharmed.
Dykes, a Vietnam vet, and former truck driver, is said to have been anti-government and estranged from his family. While the police have not said how Dykes died, a neighbour reported hearing a boom and a gunshot during the rescue.