Suspect In Round Rock Girls' Kidnapping Seen In Colorado (Update)

ROUND ROCK, TX — The man accused of taking two Round Rock girls after their mother was found dead in her home over the weekend has been spotted in Colorado, according to police.

Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks said at a news briefing on Wednesday that Terry Allen Miles, 44, was positively identified from security surveillance cameras at a Colorado store. An Amber Alert for the two missing girls was canceled in Texas on Wednesday, replaced with an alert n Colorado.

Police believe Miles kidnapped the girls — 14-year-old Lilianais Victoria Cake Griffith and 7-year-old Luluvioletta Bandera-Margaret — after their mother, Tonya Bates, 44, was found dead in her Round Round home along the 2100 block of Leslie Court on New Year's Eve. Miles was the dead woman's roommate, according to police.

Round Rock Police Chief Allen Banks staged a press conference Wednesday afternoon to provide brief updates on the case Round Rock Police Department located at 2701 N Mays St.

Recent images of Miles were released to the media during the briefing. The surveillance camera images were taken from a store in Trinidad, Colo., although Banks declined to identify the name of the business from where the images originated last Saturday:

Trinidad is located some 21 miles north of Raton, N.M., and 195 miles south of Denver. The municipality is situated on the historic Santa Fe Trail.

Law enforcement officials earlier released an undated photo of Miles:

At the outset of his press briefing, Banks noted he would be intentionally vague given the ongoing nature of the investigation. He thanked the media for pushing out information related to the case, saying the reports have led to a number of productive tips about the case.

"Our whole focus right now is to get Lily and Lulu back home safely," Banks said. "Our detectives, the agents from our local from our local, state and federal law enforcement have been working very hard around the clock to locate these two girls, these two sisters."

Banks noted that other reports of sightings in Colorado have been received, including from witnesses saying they had spotted the girls. "Whether they're credible or not, that's what we're tracking down," the chief said while alluding to the sheer volume of tips, including some from psychics.

Related story: Round Rock Police Continue Search For 2 Missing Girls, Suspect

As news of the abuduction spreads, some news outlets have uncovered Miles' expansive criminal history.

Court documents obtained by Fox 7 show that Miles has a long criminal history dating back to the time he lived in Sulphur Springs, La., including arrests for theft, burglary, possession of child pornography and multiple charges for domestic abuse. A Louisiana sheriff told the news station the Round Rock case involving Miles is similar to an open investigation in that state.

“In Round Rock it's also a beating, which is the same manner of death which we never disclosed, before this time so it certainly fits his MO, if that is true and what's going on we know that he likes to beat on women because he's got several domestic abuse and battery charges,” the sheriff told the news station.

One woman categorized Miles succinctly in the report: "He is evil."

The woman described alleged abuse her niece underwent at the hands of Miles: "She was hung by her wrists, on the pipes inside the apartment, and he had beat her with a baseball bat,” the woman said. Her niece later died of a drug overdose in 2012, but murder charges against Miles were subsequently dropped, according to the report.

In a Wednesday report, the Austin American-Statesman also detailed the criminal history Miles has in California. Officials three told the newspaper Miles was sentenced to two years in prison in November 1995 for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant in San Bernardino County. However, Miles was credited for time served before being released on parole in May 1996.

Miles returned to prison twice for violating his parole conditions, and was sentenced to two years in prison again in October 2002 for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse/cohabitant and making a threat, according to the report. Again, he received credit for time served and was released on parole in December 2003, according to the California Department of Corrections.

Miles returned to prison three times in 2004, 2005 and 2006 for violating his parole, a law enforcement officials told the newspaper. He was later released in 2007 and completed his parole that same year.

Anyone with information is urged to call (512) 218-5515. However, anyone coming across Miles should not approach him, as he's considered very dangerous. Instead, anyone seeing Miles should call 911.

Police earlier said Miles is likely driving a gray, 2017 Hyundai Accent with Texas license plate number JGH9845. At Wednesday's press conference, Banks intimated the license plate may have been changed in an effort to elude detection. Police earlier noted the car has a white sticker affixed to the upper right corner of the rear window. Earlier images released by police show what the vehicle looks like:

>>> Courtesy images