In Austin today, a federal complaint was unsealed charging Terrance “Terry” Allen Miles in the kidnapping of two minors.
Yesterday, authorities in Colorado took 44–year-old Miles into custody without incident during a traffic stop. The two minors, ages 7 and 14, were found safe in the vehicle Miles was driving.
According to the complaint, on or about December 30, 2017, the Round Rock, Texas Police Department (RRTPD) received a call for a welfare check on Tonya Ellen Bates because she did not show up for work on December 30, 2017, as expected.
According to court documents, upon conducting the welfare check at Bates’ residence, RRTPD located Bates’ deceased body. Bates appeared to have suffered from blunt force trauma. Bates was the only individual at the residence at the time of the welfare check and Bates’ 2017 Hyundai Accent was missing. Investigation revealed Bates had two minor daughters and a roommate named Terry Allen Miles who lived with Bates.
On or about December 30, 2017, at approximately 1:00 a.m., Miles’ mother received a text message from a phone that belonged to one of the daughters. RRTPD officers obtained cell phone information on the children’s two phones. One of the phones was located in a heavily wooded area adjacent to a Wal-Mart store located in Round Rock, Texas. Surveillance from the Wal-Mart store showed what appeared to be Miles purchasing numerous camping-related items and then leaving the Wal-Mart in a vehicle appearing to match Bates’ vehicle.
Authorities determined Bates’ missing Hyundai was in northern New Mexico near the Colorado state line. Las Animas County Sheriff’s deputies arrested Miles near La Veta, Colorado, on the evening of January 3.
Miles is scheduled for an initial appearance today at 3:00 p.m. (CST) in Federal District Court in Denver, Colorado.
