By TAMARA LUSH and KATE BRUMBACK
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - Officials say they stormed a bunker in Alabama to rescue a 5-year-old child being held hostage there after his abductor was seen with a gun.

Steve Richardson with the FBI's office in Mobile said at a news conference Monday afternoon that negotiations deteriorated and that 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes had been seen with a gun.

At that, officers believed the child was in imminent danger. Officers entered the bunker just after 3 p.m. CST.

It was not immediately clear how Dykes died.

--

By TAMARA LUSH and KATE BRUMBACK
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - A law enforcement official says a 5-year-old has been safely released after a weeklong 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.

It was not immediately clear how Dykes died.

Earlier Monday, officials had said they had been sending food and medicine to Dykes and the boy in the bunker.

The boy has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

--

By TAMARA LUSH and KATE BRUMBACK
MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - Authorities say they will be making a major announcement in the case of a 5-year-old who is being held hostage in an underground bunker in Alabama.

The news conference will be held Monday afternoon in Midland City. Police say 65-year-old Jim Dykes has been holding the boy hostage for days.

Before the news conference Monday, an ambulance that had been parked near the scene could be seen driving away. However, it was not clear if anyone was inside, and the vehicle did not have its sirens or emergency lights on.

Daryle Hendry, who lives about a quarter-mile from where Dykes was holed up, says he heard a boom followed by a gunshot this afternoon. It was not immediately known what may have caused the noise.

Copyright © 2013 Associated Press
Image used is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.