Nightmarish underground bunker where five Alabama men and two women 'committed evil acts against children and animals'

Daily Mail​

24-07-2025

Four Alabama men were arrested for raping children inside a nightmarish underground bunker, as a total of seven were arrested for heinous acts.
William Chase McElroy, 21; Dalton Terrell, 21; Timothy St. John, 23; and Ricky Terrell, 44, are facing rape charges, among others, for allegedly sexually abusing small children inside a dirty underground bunker.
Their victims, including some of their own children, were between the ages of three and 15, and the abuse began in 2022, according to ABC 33/40 News.
At least two of the victims were found performing sexual acts on each other, according to AL.com.
Three others - Andres Trejo-Velazquez, 29; Rebecca Brewer, 29; and Sarah Louis Terrell, 41 - were also arrested in connection to the crimes.
The team of seven used an underground bunker to hide their crimes and the inside of it was straight out of a nightmare.
A lone stained mattress with no sheets or blankets was seen stuffed in a corner of the barren and dirty room. A metal chair was placed beside the bed, alongside a standing fan.
The only other items in the room were another chair, a small set of drawers with an old-looking convection oven with a built-in coffee spot on top and uncovered lightbulbs.
The outside of the bunker, which was located near a family member of McElroy, didn't look any better in repair with a shabby roof, stained siding, and a desolate appearance.
The suspects would allegedly arrange and pay for the children and abuse them inside the storm bunker.
The group also allegedly used a shock collar on the children's genitals as a form of punishment and for sexual pleasure, court documents said.
'I've been in law enforcement for 33 years and this is absolutely the most horrible thing I've ever seen when it comes to the victimization of children,' Bibb County Sheriff Jody Wade said at a press conference on Wednesday.
'I know God's forgiveness is boundless, but if there is a limit, we've reached it.'
Police began investigating the group in early February after a tip from the Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) 'following concerns regarding the sexual abuse of children in an underground bunker located in Brent.'
After they were discovered, the children allegedly told investigators that McElroy had abused them, taught them sexual acts and what they did to each other, Assistant District Attorney Bryan Jones said.
The children were subjected vaginal intercourse, anal intercourse, and oral sex.
'He would tie one child to the bed, one child to a chair and one to one of the support poles,' Jones said of Velazquez-Trejo, whose citizenship is now being investigated.
Velazquez-Trejo has also been accused of using a white powder in the children's drinks to drug them. He also allegedly sold nude images of the children.
'As bad as it sounds with [Velazquez-Trejo] drugging them, it may be a blessing in disguise because they don't remember a lot of things,' Jones said.
'I'm hopeful though that they won't have near the trauma they would have had if they had not been drugged.'
The group also sold the children for up to $1,000 a night to abusers. Dalton paid at least two adults to use the children, who are now three, six, eight, and 10.
And at least one of the seven has been connected to a Mexican gang that uses sex trafficking as its main source of income.
St. John has also been accused of having sex with a dog.
All the children are now in the custody of DHR.
'They're getting the medical help they need, the emotional, psychological help we can best provide them. For the younger kids, I'm hoping some of this is a blurry memory,' Wade said.
'You can't heal from this, but you can move on as best you can.'
McElroy was charged with rape, sodomy, and human trafficking.
Dalton was charged with rape, sodomy, human trafficking, and kidnapping.
St. John was charged rape, sodomy, human trafficking, kidnapping, bestiality, and cruelty to animals.
Trejo-Velazquez was charged with human trafficking.
Brewer was charged with human trafficking, kidnapping, and sexual torture.
Ricky was charged with rape.
Sarah was charged with sexual torture and sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years old.
They are expected back in court for their arraignment in August.