MIDLAND CITY, Ala. (AP) - A law enforcement official says a 5-year-old has been safely released after a weeklong standoff between police and the boy's abductor.

The law enforcement official briefed on the situation said Monday that Jim Dykes, the man who abducted the boy from a school bus after fatally shooting the bus driver, is dead. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the situation.

It was not immediately clear how Dykes died.

Earlier Monday, officials had said they had been sending food and medicine to Dykes and the boy in the bunker.

The boy has Asperger's syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)