In chase, Texas child abduction suspect steers into car, killing himself, other driver
A relative of a Bosque County boy and girl abducted the siblings in the hours before he died Saturday when he intentionally steered a car into the path of an oncoming motorist as deputies pursed him, authorities said.
The other driver also died in the collision in Johnson County.
Jessi Lowrey, 8, was found in the front passenger seat of the car that suspect Randall Thurman drove, the Bosque County Sheriff’s Office said.
The girl was conscious and communicated with authorities on the scene at Highway 171 and Johnson County Road 302. She was taken by helicopter to a hospital.
The siblings’ mother reported about 10:45 p.m. Friday that they were missing from their Walnut Springs residence and perhaps were with Thurman, the sheriff’s office said. Thurman is a registered sex offender.
The abducted boy, Cody Lowery, 7, ran about 1:30 a.m. to a convenience store in Hill County seeking help. He was bound with clear packing tape that was wrapped around his throat and arms, the sheriff’s office said. The boy told deputies that “Randall” had removed him from a car and wrapped him in tape before driving away with Jessi. Cody Lowery was taken in an ambulance to a medical facility.
About 9:15 a.m., a man saw a car parked near trees on his property in Hill County and recognized it as the vehicle described in an Amber Alert. The man called authorities. Deputies arrived, saw the car and tried to stop it. Thurman did not stop, and Hill County deputies chased his car north on Highway 171.
This story was originally published September 25, 2021 at 10:49 AM.
