Representative John Carter (TX-31) congratulated Texas law enforcement officers that were awarded the Missing Children’s Law Enforcement Award by the Department of Justice during a visit to Washington, D.C. today. The officers were awarded the honor for their brave service to safely rescue two Round Rock children that were kidnapped.

“Every day, law enforcement officers put their lives on the line to protect our communities,” Rep. Carter said. “I want to sincerely congratulate the Round Rock police officers, FBI agents, and Texas Rangers that came together to find these young girls unharmed after a four-day manhunt. Their collaborative efforts saved two lives and brought a dangerous criminal to justice.”

Rep. Carter met with several of the awardees of the Missing Children’s Law Enforcement Award in Washington, DC today.

L to R: FBI Special Agent Jacob Baillie, Rep. John Carter, RRPD Crime Scene Specialist Kerie McKown, and FBI Special Agent Sean Mullen. 

The recipients of the Missing Children’s Law Enforcement Award are:

Officers from the Round Rock Police Department:

• Sergeant Darin Bayles
• Detective Bernardo Villegas
• Lieutenant Robert Drawbaugh
• Crime Scene Specialist Kerie McKown
• Detective Robert Watts (Retired)
• Detective Kevin Bender
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Officers from the FBI San Antonio Field Office, Austin Resident Agency:

• Special Agent Sean M. Mullen
• Special Agent Jacob E. Baillie

Officer from the FBI San Antonio Field Office, Laredo Resident Agency (now with the FBI’s Honolulu Field Office):

• Special Agent Andrew Masters

Officer from the Texas Ranger Division, Texas Department of Public Safety, Austin:

• Ranger Gary Phillips

Background, courtesy of the Department of Justice:

On New Year’s Eve 2017, officers responded to a homicide scene in Round Rock, Texas. A woman had been murdered, and her 7- and 14-year-old daughters were missing. After an AMBER Alert was issued, credible sightings of the girls were also reported in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, which led officials to issue alerts in all three states.

Through a combination of digital evidence, forensic processing, cell phone analysis, interviews, surveillance images and tips from the public, investigators discovered the suspect’s location. On Jan. 3, 2018, the sisters were found unharmed when the suspect was apprehended during a traffic stop near La Veta, Colorado—700 miles away from their home. The suspect had a long criminal history, including charges of attempted murder, rape, and child pornography. He was arrested and extradited to Texas, where he was subsequently convicted on two federal counts of kidnapping, one count of transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity and one count of travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct. He was sentenced May 21, in Austin, Texas, to life in federal prison.