BREAKING NEWS: Little boy rescued from Alabama hostage crisis, kidnapper shot dead

The parents of the 5-year-old boy who was held hostage by a deranged man for six days can breathe easy now that police have shot and killed the man and rescued the child. The incident first started in Midland City, Alabama last Tuesday, when the man, Jimmy Lee Dykes, boarded a school bus killing the bus driver, Charles Albert Poland Jr. after he refused to hand over two children. After children on the school bus escaped through an emergency exit, Dyke took one boy into a bunker in his nearby home.

Since then police had been trying to negotiate with him to release the child who was unharmed, but had released little information over their rescuing strategy and what was occurring in the bunker. Besides the boy's safety, the other concern was that he suffered from health conditions which required medication.

It's a relief to know that this child is back to safety after a scary six days with that crazed man. It must have felt like a lifetime for the boy, whose name has not been released and I'm sure the only thing on his mind right now is to be safely back in his parents' arms. The child was taken to a nearby hospital by police.

Read more ¿Qué más?: 5-year-old boy held hostage after crazed gunman shoots & kills bus driver!

According to police, Dyke had been maintaining the child warm and safe during the last six days, even accepting his medication to treat his Asperger's syndrome and ADD. The reasons for which he committed this crime are unclear, but it caused schools in nearby Ozark, Alabama shut down as a safety precaution. The town had even decided to enforce a 15-foot safety zone around school buses required by state law. It prohibits unknown adults, including parents, from approaching within 15 feet of a school bus stop.

Many parents can rest easy now knowing that police confirmed that they had captured and killed the man behind the hostage situation. CNN reports that earlier today, there had been sounds of gunfire and explosion in the bunker and an ambulance could be seen driving away from the scene without any emergency lights or sirens on. Schools in Ozark and Dale County are set to reopen this week now that the alarming incident is over.

It's great to hear that the child held captive is safe now after that crazy man decided to detain him for who knows what reason. He will probably need therapy now to help relieve the anxiety he must have developed being stuck in a bunker with someone who could have caused him harm had police not complied with him. Thankfully now the boy is away from harm and his kidnapper is dead. Why Dykes would even commit something like this is beyond me, but we will keep an eye on this story as it continues to develop.

 Image via Alabama Department of Public Safety