Around 1:00 a.m. on December 30, 2017, a horrific crime was committed in Round Rock, Texas. Terry Allen Miles, 44, was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of two minors, announced United States Attorney John F. Bash, and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Christopher Combs, San Antonio Division.
The crime began when Round Rock Police officers conducted a welfare check at the residence of Tonya Ellen Bates, who had not shown up for work that day as expected. The officers discovered Bates’s body inside the residence, which appeared to have suffered from blunt force trauma. Her 2017 Hyundai Accent was missing, and further investigation revealed that she had two minor daughters and a roommate named Terry Allen Miles who lived with Bates.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on December 30, 2017, Miles’s mother received a text message from a phone that belonged to one of the daughters. RRPD officers obtained cell phone information on the children’s two phones. One of the phones was located in a heavily wooded area adjacent to a Wal-Mart store located in Round Rock, and surveillance video from the Wal-Mart showed what appeared to be Miles purchasing numerous camping-related items and then leaving the store in a vehicle appearing to match Bates’s vehicle.
The vehicle and a cell phone belonging to one of the minors were subsequently traced heading to Colorado. On January 3, 2018, deputies with the Las Animas County Sheriff’s Office arrested Miles during a traffic stop near La Vera, Colorado. The two minors, ages 7 and 14, were found safe in the vehicle Miles was driving.
Miles, who remains in federal custody, faces between 20 years and life in federal prison upon conviction. His arraignment has yet to be scheduled. An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Devlin is prosecuting this case on behalf of the Government. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, United States Marshals Service – Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, and the Round Rock Police Department are conducting this investigation. Additional agencies assisting in the investigation include the Texas Rangers, Central Texas Violent Crimes Task Force, and multiple law enforcement agencies in Colorado.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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