Gruesome new details emerge in house-of-horrors killings after girl escapes

Authorities say the 12-year-old “hero” was drugged and tied to a bed before she bit through her restraints and led authorities to horrifying crime scene

Grisly details are emerging about a house-of-horrors case in Alabama in which authorities say a boyfriend killed and dismembered his partner and her son before holding her daughter hostage for more than a week.

Jose Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, has been charged with multiple counts of capital murder, abuse of a corpse, and first degree kidnapping by prosecutors in Tallapoosa County.

Authorities say the “heroic” 12-year-old daughter bit through restraints that Mr Pascual-Reyes had used to tie her to a bed post before escaping from his mobile home in Dadeville and raising the alarm.

According to an arrest warrant obtained by WRBL, Mr Pascual-Reyes smothered his girlfriend Sandra Vazquez Ceja with a pillow on 24 July.

He then punched and kicked Ms Ceja’s juvenile son, whose name has not been released, to death.

WRBL reported that Mr Pascual-Reyes cut their bodies into small pieces to in an attempt to conceal evidence, citing the arrest warrant.

The 12-year-old girl was held hostage for more than a week and given drugs and alcohol to keep her in an altered state, investigators say.

Court documents state that the girl broke her braces while chewing through her restraints and was found by a motorist walking along a rural road on 1 August.

José Paulino Pascual-Reyes, 37, was charged with capital murder and first-degree kidnapping (Tallapoosa County Jail)

Authorities descended on a mobile home in Dadeville, Alabama, where they found two decomposing bodies (WSFA)

Marks were seen on her wrist indicating she had been tied up.

The next day, law enforcement descended on the mobile home and discovered the dismembered, decomposing bodies and arrested Mr Pascual-Reyes.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Tallapoosa County Sheriff Jimmy Abbett said the 12-year-old girl was receiving medical attention and being offered assistance by multiple agencies.

“I would say she’s a hero,” he said.

Mr Pascual-Reyes is being held without bond at the Tallapoosa County Detention Center. 

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are among several law enforcement agencies assisting the investigation.