Members of the community gather to pray for a 5-year-old taken hostage, in Midland City, Ala.
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) -- A law enforcement official says a 5-year-old has been safely released after a days-long standoff between police and the boy's abductor.
The law enforcement official briefed on the situation said Monday that Jim Dykes, the man who abducted the boy from a school bus after fatally shooting the bus driver, is dead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the situation.
