On Monday, February 4th, the FBI entered the bunker that had been holding five-year-old Ethan and his captor, 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, a Vietnam veteran. Following an explosion, the source of which has not been released to the public, FBI officials saved Ethan while Dykes died.
On Tuesday, January 29th, Dykes entered a school bus, demanded two students, and shot the bus driver dead when he refused. He then took Ethan and brought him to an underground bunker that he had been digging for about a year, according to neighbors.
Dykes has a cloudy history, with neighbors claiming he has threatened to kill anyone that stepped on his property. His next-door neighbor has said Dykes spent early morning hours building the bunker and that he claimed he was constructing it for protection during a storm.
During his time in the bunker, Ethan was given his medicine, reportedly for ADHD and Asberger’s syndrome. In addition, Dykes was providing him with an electric blanket and coloring books. He was receiving these things through a pipe that was also used for communication between officials and Dykes.
Ethan is currently in the hospital and doing well. Doctors are unsure as to how he will deal with the effects of his ordeal but they are hopeful.
On Wednesday, February 6th, Ethan celebrated his sixth birthday with his family.
