Man who spotted suspect vehicle in Amber Alert praised by Kyle police
KYLE, Texas - The Kyle Police Department is praising the actions of a young man who led them to the suspect in an Amber Alert case from November.
Chief Jeff Barnett says 22-year-old Hector Villarreal spotted the suspect's vehicle and called it in.
Police say two six-year-old girls didn't come home after being allowed to leave with 20-year-old Kylei Glasgow, a family friend, to go fishing. Glasgow left her cell phone in the house
"Once darkness had set in, now it had been several hours that we were continuing to look for them the entire time. Obviously, we were not going to fish after dark, and things just weren't adding up. The mother was more concerned. We were definitely more concerned," Barnett said.
An Amber Alert went out, and Villarreal, who was driving home, saw it and says it resonated with him because he's from Kyle and has younger siblings.
He spotted the suspect's vehicle at a gas station at FM 150 and Hwy 21 in Caldwell County.
"I saw that it was the right color and the right brand of car, so I pulled in the gas station. As soon as I pulled in, I saw that the license plate matched. Once I saw that the license plate matched, I called 911," Villarreal said.
This happened less than 30 minutes after the Amber Alert went out.
"As the whole scene unfolded, it was kind of nerve-wracking just because I've never witnessed something like that," Villarreal said.
Deputies found Glasgow asleep with fentanyl, heroin, meth, and LSD in the car.
She's charged with two counts of endangering a child, five counts of possession of a controlled substance, and public intoxication. She also had an unrelated warrant.
Kylei Glasgow, 20, was the suspect in an Amber Alert in Kyle back in November. Police said she took two 6-year-old girls.
"She was in no state to even tell us where they had been throughout the day. She was confused on her location at the time," Barnett said.
The two children were unharmed.
"Hector's actions made all the difference in this case. Our officers had been looking throughout the community for hours and hours," Barnett said.
He says in a case like this, the best thing to do is to call 911 and stay back for safety, which is exactly what Villarreal did.
MORE MISSING IN TEXAS STORIES:
- Rachel Cooke still missing more than 20 years later
- Austin woman missing for 47 years; nonprofit brings awareness to missing people of color
- Unidentified remains found in San Angelo in 1996 may have Austin connection
"The Amber Alert system does work. We just need to remind everybody, pay attention, because you never know when you may be the next caller, the next one that helps us find some missing children," Barnett said.
"It makes me feel really good knowing that [the mother] knows that her kids are safe and knowing that nothing happened to them," Villarreal said.
Barnett says he plans to recognize Villarreal at the Kyle City Council meeting on Dec. 19.