Cops: 2 kids found alive after a sex offender took them

By KTVT Staff

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    BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas (KTVT) — An Amber Alert issued for a 8-year-old girl has been canceled after she was found alive, the Bosque County Sheriff’s Office announced Saturday.

At approximately 10:45 p.m. Sept. 24, deputies responded to a residence in Walnut Springs, Texas, in regards to a report of two missing children.

The children’s mother reportedly stated that the two kids, a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, were missing and suspected to be with a family member — later identified as 34-year-old Randall Thurman.

Deputies soon discovered that Thurman was a registered sex offender, amplifying the investigation.

BCSO immediately sent out a notification to all surrounding counties. Houston police were also contacted as Thurman maintained a residence in that area, officials said.

At approximately 1:40 a.m. Saturday morning, BCSO was notified that the boy had been found at a convenience store on I-35 in Hill County and taken into custody.

Officers on scene reported that the boy had run to the convenience store seeking help and had been bound with clear packing tape, wrapped around his throat and arms.

The boy told responding deputies that Thurman had removed him from the car and wrapped him in tape before fleeing with the 8-year-old girl. He was shortly transported to a medical facility for treatment.

BCSO investigators then entered the young girl into the Amber Alert system, expanding the search statewide.

At around 9:15 a.m., officials said a Hill County resident observed Thurman’s vehicle sitting between a group of trees on his property and immediately contacted the Hill County Sheriff’s Office.

HCSO deputies attempted to conduct a traffic stop of the vehicle. Thurman subsequently fled and a pursuit ensued, traveling northbound on FM 171 toward Cleburne.

Just inside Johnson County, deputies saw Thurman’s vehicle cross over the center lane of the roadway and continue to travel at high speeds toward an oncoming vehicle. Deputies believe the maneuver was intentional.

At the intersection of FM 191 and Johnson County Road 302, Thurman collided with the oncoming car. Following the collision, officers converged on the vehicles to determine the condition of those inside.

The driver of the second vehicle suffered fatal injuries upon impact, officials said. Their identity is being withheld at this time.

Thurman was also killed in the crash, police said.

The 8-year-old girl was found in the front passenger seat of the vehicle operated by Thurman. Officials say she was conscious and communicated with officers on the scene.

Following the extraction from the vehicle, she was placed on a CareFlight helicopter and transported to a medical facility for emergency treatment.

This investigation is ongoing.

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