The 5-year-old boy held hostage in Alabama over the past week is back home and in for the “greatest” birthday of his life, according to a pastor close to his family.
Yesterday, the Alabama hostage situation came to an end after an FBI raid left kidnapper Jimmy Lee Dykes dead. His 5-year-old child hostage, who Dykes snatched after fatally shooting a school bus driver eight days ago, is currently recovering in a hospital. He turns six on Wednesday, and his family is planning the “greatest” birthday of his life, reports NBC News .
“I would image it’s going to be the greatest birthday that family and that little boy has ever experienced and probably will ever experience,” Pastor Michael Senn told TODAY .
Now that the boy has been reunited with his mother, he is reportedly “laughing, joking, playing, eating,” according to Special Agent in Charge Stephen Richardson. “He’s very brave, he’s very lucky. His success story is that he got out and he’s doing great.”
At the Monday night press briefing following the end of the standoff, Sheriff Olson was light on specific case details, saying that the investigation was ongoing and that processing of the crime scene was still underway. However, Olson very openly discussed the boy hostage, Ethan, and seemed very pleased with the happy outcome of the scenario.
“This boy is a very special child. He’s been through and endured a lot and by the grace of God, he’s OK,” Olson said. “That was the mission of every man and woman on this compound. Of every law enforcement officer, every first responder, and all of the community who prayed to bring him home safely.”
The press was kept at arm’s length throughout the hostage situation, primarily because authorities believed that Dykes had a TV set in his bunker.
Here’s the TODAY report on the Alabama bunker hostage situation. It includes clips from the Monday night press briefing.
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Here’s the video of Pastor Michael Senn saying Ethan is in for the “greatest” birthday of his life.
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