yes, ma'am. >> did he have any interaction, mr. dykes and mr. poland have any interaction that morning, or even before this all happened? >> during the investigation -- you're going to have to understand a lot of this stuff, there still is an ongoing investigation in this process. so some of those questions will probably be answered later. yes, sir. >> was mr. dykes armed? >> i can hear you, sir. >> was mr. dykes armed when law enforcement went into that bunker? >> yes. >> can tell us about the procedures that you guys undertook to go in and remove the child? >> at this time we don't want to -- everything's being looked at and being reviewed. it's all still part of the investigation. and we can't answer a lot of questions like that one. >> did the mother have contact with the child at all? >> yes, ma'am, the mother is in contact with her child. >> during the time he was underground? >> she's in contact with the child and the child's doing good. >> were you able to get anything on what the story was that mr. dykes wanted to tell? >> right now we'

you know, this did end with one person dead, that suspect, mr. dykes. tell me, what do you know about him and have you been in touch -- has anyone been in touch with any of his family? >> that's been one thing i have been wondering. we had conversation with several folks. i have not had confirmation he had family in this part of the country or any at all to be honest with you. >> pastor senn, thank you for joining us. martin, i'm going to throw it back to you. >> thanks so much. we're hearing -- we've learned that the hostage taking there in midland, alabama, was resolved at 3:12 this afternoon. fbi agents safely recovered the child who had been held hostage for about a week. 24 hours of negotiations had deteriorated where mr. dykes was observed holding a gun. mr. dykes has since died. thank you so much for watching this afternoon. the child is safe. chris matthews and "hardball" is next. ♪ >>> welcome back to "hardball." as we pointed out in the past few weeks there are several states where republicans have floated the idea of changing how electoral do

he in fact knew the suspect mr. dykes. they had known each other from the neighborhood and the area. he took the bullet to save the life of a little kid. >> thankfully this ended the way it did. i had no idea how this was going to go. i thought it was hopeless. >> what is per sip yent. >> law enforcement prosecutorial term. someone is present at the team is an eyewitness heard information. >> i have to commend you on this. we did an hour show on

saying, i want to thank mr. dykes for taking care of our boys. it raises the question, does dykes have a television, a radio. is he able to hear that appeal? >> i understand that you spoke to the sheriff. let's listen to what the sheriff had to say. let's listen to what the mother had to say. >> reporter: what do you hope if mr. dykes hears this or sees it? what do you hope he gets from this? >> he just needs to know that everybody makes mistakes, everybody's been through life events that changes them. but ethan is innocent. let him go home to his mother. let him go home to his grandparents. let him come out to the community. let him go back to school and be with his friends. >> reporter: don, that was michelle riley. she was able to speak to ethan's mother today. she says the family is distraught. hanging on by a threat. everyone out here, they are trying to be optimistic. but there's a great deal of uncertainty. today, we saw people come together in this vigil to remember charles poland who many in this community consider to be a hero. but also

saying, i want to thank mr. dykes for taking care of our boys. it raises the question, does dykes have a television, a radio. is he able to hear that appeal? >> i understand that you spoke to the sheriff. let's listen to what the sheriff had to say. let's listen to what the mother had to say. >> reporter: what do you hope if mr. dykes hears this or sees it? what do you hope he gets from this? >> he just needs to know that everybody makes mistakes, everybody's been through life events that changes them. but ethan is innocent. let him go home to his mother. let him go home to his grandparents. let him come out to the community. let him go back to school and be with his friends. >> reporter: don, that was michelle riley. she was able to speak to ethan's mother today. she says the family is distraught. hanging on by a threat. everyone out here, they are trying to be optimistic. but there's a great deal of uncertainty. today, we saw people come together in this vigil to remember charles poland who many in this community consider to be a hero. but also

the sheriff only saying a little bit earlier today that mr. dyke had an important story but it was very complicated. the sheriff wouldn't elaborate from there. just within the past hour people here out of the press site where the media are gathered across the street from police command post. many people here heard some sort of a boom. couldn't say whether it was an explosion, gun fire or simply the door on a truck closing but a boom that got everyone's attention, there was movement up the hill behind me and then this law enforcement official saying the initial reports suggest this 5-year-old boy has been released from captivity and that he is quote okay. and the suspect who has been healing him all this time is dead. kimberly, back to you. >> is there any information you can give us about the time frame preceding this loud boom that everybody heard that perhaps there was some different changes in negotiations discussions with the suspect mr. dykes? >> no, there was no indication that there was any change in the discussion. police were telling us wh

poland, they prayed for mr. dykeshat he'd have a change of heart and prayed this would end peacefully. give us a sense how much people have really been caught up in this. >> nothing happened like this around herer. not that i know of. but we got a lot of people in this area that pray a lot and do a lot for the churches. >> and now that it's ended with gunfire and with an explosion and with the death of mr. dykes, do you think this community is going to be able to heal? >> as long as that little boy's all right, yes. >> all right, brian, thank you, thank you very much. and, again, it was quite clear to neighbors, anybody who was near that area, that something happened. the explosion was very loud. the gunfire that came after that was a clear indication this was some kind of entry being made by federal authorities. now we know the gunman is dead and the 5-year-old little boy is alive and well. no doubt being checked out now by medical authorities. and then probably running into the arms or going to be greeted by a mothe

mr. dykes. i know last night one of the questions was asked about the child's condition. mr. dykes through our communication we've been able to -- he's told us that he has an electric heater and some blankets inside, that he's taking care of him. we also -- he's also allowed us to provide coloring books, medication, toys. i want to thank him for taking care of our child. that's very important. and this time i'm going to let you ask me a couple questions. but, you know, it needs to be brief and there's very limited on what i can give you, so please -- >> what medication is the child getting? >> i can't release it. >> do we know he's actually taking it or -- >> what do we know about the actual state of the child? >> we can only do a couple. >> does he have television or electricity? >> we don't have a lot of details of that. okay? >> we're hearing that the bus driver hit an emergency button inside the bus to call police. >> i don't have any information on that. >> can you tell us any details abou

he thanks mr. dykes for taking care of our boy. communication on the other side, outside of that bunker. we're told that the parent of this 5-year-old boy, ethan, are getting updates around the clock every hour on the hour, randi. >> how is the community holding up? certainly you can imagine when the media descends there, they can't enjoy being on national tv all the time, certainly over a case like this. >> well, i can tell you, we haven't met that yet. they want this story to get out. someone here in town has set up a twitter handle and they are soliciting prayers and well wishes for ethan and his family. there's actually a woman here in town, michelle riley, who is starting to make ribbons. they're black, blue and red. black to symbolize the mourning for the bus driver who was killed. blue and red for the school colors here. the mother of this 5-year-old came to her home to pick up some of those ribbons. she said that this mother is ready to hold her child, bring him home and here's what she had to say about ethan. >> let him co

mr. jimmy lee dykes is watching here now. please take your turn. >> mr. dykes i know you believe that what you have done is justified. but i also know in your heart you realize that this baby belongs back with his parents. and it could be that simple. thank you. >> let's talk about the 5-year-old boy. it has been reported that he may have aspergers. what should we be telling jimmy lee dydes about that little boy? >> the response to that of the negotiators and we still have a chance here. i think reremind him he is just a little boy and does have a condition that causes him to be anxious normally and this situation is certainly exacerbated the fact that he is even more anxious and his medication is important and you are now his protector and we want to see him and you come out safely together. >> sergeant joe, i have a 14-year-old son and the thought of my 14-year-old son in this situation really is heartbreaking. it is scary. talk to jimmy lee dykes now and tell him that this doesn't have to end badly. >> it doesn't. you know what happened in the past has

i want to thank mr. dykes for taking care of our boy. that was a direct appeal to mr. dykes, does he have television, are they trying speak to him directly. it's fair to assume they are trying to talk to him, don. >> george will be back with us at 10:00 eastern as we continue to monitor the situation. it's similar to an incident that happened nearly 40 years ago. it happened in california, when three men kidnapped a school bus full of children and their driver and buried them underground inside a moving van trailer in hopes of getting ransom money. they all survived but still feel the effects of it. >>> moving on now, in turkey today, a claim of responsibility for the attack to united states embassy. >> yesterday, in the turkish capitol, a suicide bomber blew himself up and killed a man who worked as a security guard at the embassy. a group has now said that they sent the bomber and that they are against u.s. foreign policy and they oppose close ties with the west from turkey. and a woman that vanished two weeks ago, we have details on that. >> what we are learning now

so by the sheriff saying that he appreciates mr. dykesance in this was to reinforce we understand you are trying to help us figure this out. >> reporter: law enforcement had drones looking for signs that ethan was alive and possible ways in to rescue him. not only has this special needs child been kidnapped he was witness to a murder right in front of his eyes all the while his family and friends can do nothing but wait. >> the waycades react we do tend to have a recovery process the trauma. but this is a long-standing trauma that is directly affecting him in a scary way. >> reporter: former negotiators say rushing the bunker was a last resort especially in a case where the hostage take may have planned the crime in advance. this may be why police waited seven days before reacting. >> use delay to save time. the more patient they are the less likely they are to makes mistakes and to get it right and communicate properly and unravel this. >> reporter: authorities had to handle it slowly in order to keep ethan safe. >> you have to take into

mr. dykes. one of the questions was asked about the child's condition. mr. dykes through our communication we have -- he told us that he has an electric heater and blankets and he's taking care of . he's allowed us to provide coloring books. medication, toys, and i want to thank him for taking care of our child. that is it very important. at this time you can ask me a couple of questions and it needs to be brief and i am limited. >> what medication? >> i can't release that. [inaudible] >> what do we know. >> one at a time, please . >> we can on only do a couple. >> does he have television or electricity. >> we don't have the details of that. >> we are hearing that the bus driver -- hit an emergency button to call police? >> i don't have information of that. >> cutell us the details of your conversation with the suspect in >> we have been in constant with communication with mr. dykes? >> are you making any demands. >> i can only answer a few questions and i have to get back across the street. th

. >> i started our discussion with mr. dykes. he feels like he has a story that's important to him, although it's very complex. >> reporter: ethan had been held captive in an underground bunker beneath dykes' property, stocked full of supplies, including blankets and a heater. dykes had allowed negotiators to drop crackers, toys and coloring books down a ventilation pipe. while police used cameras mounted on a small unmanned aircraft to keep an eye on the bunker site, s.w.a.t. teams on the ground were ready to move. police assumed dykes was watching television coverage of the crime and kept their comments to reporters short. then, late this afternoon, an apparent blast was heard at the bunker site. >> within the past 24 hours, negotiations deteriorated. and mr. dykes was observed -- was observed holding a gun. at this point, fbi agents fearing the child was in imminent danger, entered the bunker and rescued the child. the child appears physically unharmed and is being treated at a local hospital. >> reporter: not much is known abo

it also went on to say that mr. dykes continues to make the child as comfortable as possible. now, that being said, it's certainly a community here waiting with baited breath not only on that situation, but it's also a very sad weekend for folks here. there's a funeral this afternoon set for the bus driver, the man hailed as a hero and across town, we're seeing ribbons just like this one. we're seeing them all along fences, along that little boy's elementary school, the blue and the red supporting his school colors and the black in remembrance of that man who gave his life to save all those children on the school bus. jamie? >> so sad for this community, elizabeth. we're praying. keep us posted. eric? >> as elizabeth just mentioned, the bus driver that dykes is accused of killing will be laid to rest later today. charles albert po land, jr. is being remembered today as a hero. hundreds turned out for a memorial service for him last night. authorities say the 66-year-old driver was shot several times as he tried to protect the young children on his bus by blocking the gunman's

he in fact knew the suspect mr. dykes. they had known each other from the neighborhood and the area. he took the bullet to save the life of a little kid. >> thankfully this ended the way it did. i had no idea how this was going to go. i thought it was hopeless. >> what is per sip yent. >> law enforcement prosecutorial term. someone is present at the team is an eyewitness heard information. >> i have to commend you on this. we did an hour show on basically what we had 4 minutes of information. >> you did an extraordinarily good job. you are going to hear about that. >> thank you. that's all the time we have. stay tuned for "special report." >> good evening. i am john robert for bret baier this evening. this is a fox news alert. hostage standoff involving a 5-year-old boy has ended in alaba alabama. the child is safe. the man who apparently kidnapped him is dead. get the latest from jonathan serrie live in midland, alabama. we know law enforcement stormed this bunker that he had been keeping this 5-year-old in for a number o

when the sheriff said that he wanted to thank mr. dykes, listen to this. >> he's told us that he has a lk heater and blankets inside that he's taking care of him. he's also allowed us to provide coloring books, medication, toys, and i want to thank him for taking care of our child. that's very important. >> reporter: again, he wanted to thank him for taking care of their boy. you can tell this is a very personal, it's something that they're paying very close attention to, everything they're able to glean from communications with mr. dykes. miguel, remember, this all started back on tuesday when investigators say that mr. dykes boarded a school bus and allegedly shot and killed the bus driver, then abducted this 5-year-old boy taking had imback to this property here where he has an underground bunker and now in day five of the standoff. >> interesting that they thanked him. it clearly indicates they're trying to communicate with him in every way possible. what do we know about mr. dikes? are police revealing anything about a possible motive

in other words, what do you want, mr. dykes? early on in this negotiations, he would have told them he wants a, b and c. but what they're going to do is negotiate pieces of that, for example, it appears that they have been able to get food and perhaps medicine into the bunker. now, that's important. because, it's mr. dykes humanizing his captor. dan, this case creates some unique challenges for tactical teams. because, how do you get into this bunker if they have to go in and safely get this 5-year-old out? one entrance i suspect that there's no way to do a dynamic entry where you get in flash green ad and grab him. it's a confined space. the problem is, you got a guy who's anti-government and is bent on doing one particular thing. my guess is, he's not going to get what he wants. >> he spent a lot of time preparing for this, do you think this can end peacefully as more and more days go on? >> it's very difficult to really figure that out. only because, at some point, i think, they're going to probably have to go in there. becau

sending food and toys to the boy, while addressing the h hosta hostage-taker as mr. dykes. when the talks finally broke down, police say they had no other choice but to catch dykes by surprise. incredibly, ethan's mother had asked police days ago, not to kill dykes. >> she put her hand on the officer's heart and said, sir, don't hurt him. he's sick. >> reporter: you know, friends and family tell us that little ethan is a boy that loves to be hugged. and you can bet, he's getting those hugs today. george? >> thanks, gio. >>> joining us are ethan's great aunt and uncle. debra cook and berlin enfinger. thanks for joining us this morning. take us back to that moment when you first heard he was safe. >> i was telling some of the family that, you know, if i could, i would do cartwheels all the way down the road. i was ecstatic. everything seemed like it was just so much clearer. you know, we'd all been walking around in a fog. and everybody was just -- they were excited. there's no words to put how we felt and how relieved we were. >> what more can you tell us about what he's doin

they went in and covered ethan with a vest and shot mr. dykes. >> did he see mr. shot and killed? >> he absolutely did. he seen the army came in and shot the bad man. >> ethan who played quietly with his toys says little about what happened in those har rowing days, but when dr. phil asks him how he gets to school, here's what he whispers. kirkland says she has forgiven dykes and is ready to move on. >> how are you coping with this? >> i'm not sure yet. i've been so busy trying to make sure he's okay. first. i mean, i'm facing it on how he's doing. if he's doing okay today, then i'm fine. >> and now, an update on one of the more controversial state of the union attendees. it was ted nugent, a long time gun advocate, also, a critic on the president. he gave us his take, quote, it pains me deeply he is still at his deceitful fantasy scam and the clueless masses are buying it. somebody better wake up before he e vis rates the entire american dream. more on that, pretty controversial comment. and for years we've known folic acid can prevent birth defects, but taking su

mr. dykes allowing them to supply comfort supplies to the little boy. supplies such as medication, snacks, such as cheez-its and toys such as a red hot wheels car he requested yesterday. but today although they did not elabora elaborate, authorities say the negotiations started to go south and that is when they decided to storm the bunker. listen to what they said at a news conference moments ago. >> at approximately 3:12 this afternoon fbi agents safely recovered the child who has been held hostage for nearly a week. within the past 24-hours negotiations deteriorated and mr. dykes was observed holding a gun. at this point fbi agents fearing the child was in eminent danger entered the bunker and rescued the child. the child appears physically unharmed and is being treated at a local hospital. the subject is deceased. >> the standoff began tuesday afternoon, nearly 7 days ago in the late afternoon. a gunman boarded the school bus in this neighborhood. law enforcement authorities say jimmy lee dykes the suspect was demanding hostages. the driver on that b