In a grim resolution to a harrowing case of child abduction and sexual violence, 45-year-old Terry Allen Miles of Round Rock, Texas, was sentenced to life in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel in Austin. Miles was convicted on two counts of kidnapping, transporting a minor with intent to engage in sex, and interstate travel to have sex with a minor—crimes stemming from a December 2017 rampage that left one woman dead and two young girls traumatized.
The nightmare began on December 30, 2017, when Round Rock Police responded to a welfare check at the home of Tonya Ellen Bates, who had failed to show up for work. Officers discovered her body inside the residence, the victim of a brutal homicide caused by blunt force trauma. Investigators quickly determined that Miles—Bates’s former live-in partner and the girls’ de facto guardian—had vanished with her 2017 Hyundai Accent, taking her two daughters, then ages 7 and 14. Forensic evidence later confirmed Miles bludgeoned Bates to death with a heavy flashlight; her blood was found on one of his sneakers.
Using cell phone data and surveillance footage, authorities tracked Miles’ path out of Texas. Video from a Round Rock Walmart showed him buying camping gear before fleeing in Bates’s vehicle. One child’s phone pinged near a wooded area, while another’s signal led straight to southern Colorado. On January 3, 2018, Las Animas County deputies pulled over the stolen Hyundai near La Veta and found both minors alive but in the custody of their abductor. The rescue ended a frantic, cross-state manhunt—but exposed a deeper horror.
At trial, prosecutors revealed that Miles had engaged in repeated sexual acts with the 14-year-old girl over a five-month period prior to the kidnapping. DNA evidence was undeniable: semen belonging to Miles was found in the girl’s underwear when she was rescued and on a towel at a remote campsite in Colorado where the trio had hidden. The evidence painted a picture of predation, planning, and perverse control over vulnerable victims.
“Today justice was delivered to Terry Miles for his despicable crimes against children,” said U.S. Attorney John F. Bash. “Unfortunately, this is only one particularly high-profile example of the sort of abuse happening in every community across our country. It won’t stop until policymakers at all levels prioritize child safety.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs praised the Austin Child Exploitation Task Force and law enforcement partners across state lines for their relentless pursuit. “Today, a violent criminal has been sentenced and is off the streets,” Combs said. Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks added that the city is safer with Miles behind bars for life. “It won’t reverse the harm done to these girls, but it allows them to heal without fear.”
Related Federal Cases
- Fulcher Gets Life for Cross-Country Sex Trafficking · Mississippi
- Little Rock Predator Gets Life for Child Sex Trafficking · Arkansas
- Michael Martinez Gets 10 Years for Sextortion, Child Porn · Colorado
- Garza Pleaded Guilty to Sex Offender Non-Registration · Colorado
- Memphis Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking 14-Year-Old · New Mexico
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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