BOSQUE COUNTY, Texas — A missing girl has been found alive after an AMBER Alert was issued out of Central Texas on Saturday morning, and the suspect has died, officials said.
The Bosque County Sheriff's Office said Saturday afternoon that the child and the suspect, 34-year-old Randall Thurman, were involved in a crash that killed Thurman and another driver in Johnson County.
The missing child was found conscious inside the vehicle and was flown to a hospital for emergency treatment, the sheriff's office said.
WFAA is not naming the young girl involved in the alleged abduction, which happened in Walnut Springs, between Stephenville and Waco.
The identity of the other driver was not immediately released.
The Bosque County Sheriff's Office said the events began late Friday night when a mother reported that her two children, a 7-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl, were missing and were allegedly with a family member identified as Thurman.
Authorities said Thurman was a registered sex offender.
According to the Bosque County Sheriff's Office, the 7-year-old boy was found around 1:40 a.m. Saturday at a convenience store off I-35 in Hill County. The sheriff's office said the boy ran into the store while his arms and throat were wrapped in tape after he was left behind from the suspect's vehicle.
The boy was taken to a hospital to treat unknown injuries as authorities continued their search.
During the investigation, the sheriff's office said investigators decided to issue an AMBER Alert for the missing 8-year-old girl.
According to the Bosque County Sheriff's Office, a Hill County resident observed a car sitting between a group of trees near his home at around 9:15 a.m. Saturday. The resident reported the vehicle matched the description from the AMBER Alert.
The Bosque County Sheriff's Office said Hill County deputies found the vehicle and tried to conduct a traffic stop, but the vehicle did not stop and a chase ensued north on FM 171.
The chase eventually went into Johnson County, where deputies saw the vehicle cross into the center lane of the roadway at a high rate of speed, according to the Bosque County Sheriff's Office.
The Bosque County Sheriff's Office said the suspect vehicle crashed into an oncoming vehicle at the intersection of FM 191 and Johnson County Road 302, south of Cleburne.
The crash killed both Thurman and the other driver on impact, according to authorities.
The Bosque County Sheriff's Office said the 8-year-old girl was able to communicate with officers at the crash scene as she was extracted from the vehicle. Her current condition is unknown at this time.
Multiple agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, are investigating the incident.