Tragic end to 20-hour kidnap horror

An exploding grenade tragically ended a hostage drama in the central Colombian town of Briceño in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing an ex-convict and his wife, whom the suspect had held hostage since Wednesday morning over a custody dispute.

The tragedy began on Wednesday morning

Local police learned of the situation and quickly cordoned off the area. Whilst holding several tenants from the building hostage, Castillo shouted through a window to police that he wanted custody of his son. His ex-wife had earlier left the house to take the child to pre-school.

At noon, wife and son, who had returned to the scene, were permitted by authorities to enter the building, reported Colombian media on Thursday.

Tension rose when an officer attempted to approch the building and Castillo reacted by firing shots through the window.

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