Illustration. Three women who have been missing for years — two of whom disappeared as teenagers — have been found alive in a house in Cleveland, police in the US state of Ohio say –AFP
UPDATED:
Chicago: Three women who had been missing for a decade – two of whom disappeared as teenagers – were found alive in a house in Cleveland, police in the US state of Ohio said Monday.
The dramatic discovery drew hundreds of cheering people to the usually quiet, residential street to celebrate that girls long feared dead were very much alive.
The details of the trauma they may have suffered in captivity were not yet known, but it appeared that at least one of the girls had borne a child during her captivity.
A neighbor spotted Amanda Berry screaming for help on Monday afternoon.
“I heard screaming… And I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside of the house,” Charles Ramsey told the local ABC affiliate.
“I go on the porch, and she said ‘Help me get out. I’ve been here a long time.'”
Ramsey said he tried to get her out through the door but could not pull it open, so he kicked out the bottom and she crawled through “carrying a little girl.”
Berry went into a neighboring home and called police, begging them to come as soon as they could “before he gets back.”
“I’m Amanda Berry. I’ve been kidnapped. I’ve been missing for 10 years. I’m free. I’m here now,” Berry said, according to the recording of her frantic call to 911.
She told the dispatcher that the man who had held her captive was called Ariel Castro. When police arrived she told them there were two other captives in the home.
“All three women, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight, seem to be in good health,” Cleveland police said in a statement.
“A 52-year-old Hispanic male has been placed under arrest regarding this incident.”
Berry was last seen at approximately 7:40 pm on April 21, 2003, after leaving work at a fast food restaurant that was just a few blocks from her home. She was 16 when she disappeared, according to the FBI.
Her mother, Louwanna Miller, passed away in March of 2006, WKYC news reported.
DeJesus was 14 when she disappeared while walking home from school on April 2, 2004.
She was last seen at a pay telephone booth, sometime between 2:45 pm and 3:00 pm that day, according to the FBI.
Knight, who was 21 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at a cousin’s house on August 23, 2002, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Kayla Rogers, 23, attended school with DeJesus and joined the crowd gathered near the house on Seymore Avenue where her friend had been held captive.
“They don’t find people who go missing, you know,” Rogers, 23, told the Plain Dealer.
“I’m at a loss for words.”
Rogers said she only attended one vigil over the years, because it was too painful.
Neighbour Charlie Czorb said he was stunned by how long the women had lived at the house undetected.
“This is our own backyard,” Czorba told the paper. “These girls were locked up in our own backyard.”
Berry’s cousin, Tasheena Mitchell, 26, said she didn’t believe her brother at first when he called to tell her that her best friend had been found alive.
She’d had her hopes dashed by false reports before. But this time, it was true. So she rushed to the hospital in hopes of confirming it with her own eyes.
“She was my best friend,” Mitchell told the Plain Dealer.
A friend interrupted her, “She’s alive. She is your best friend.”
“You’re right,” Mitchell continued. “She is my best friend. I’m so nervous. I’m so excited. They won’t let me inside. But I will stay here all night if I have to.”
An emergency room doctor who treated the three women said they were in fair condition and were being evaluated.
“This isn’t the ending we usually hear to these stories so we’re very happy for them,” Gerald Maloney told reporters. –AFP
Story first published:
Three women who had been missing for years — two of whom disappeared as teenagers — were found alive in a house in Cleveland, police in the US state of Ohio said.
A neighbor spotted one of the women — Amanda Berry — screaming and trying to get out of the house.
“I heard screaming… And I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside of the house,” Charles Ramsey, a neighbor who found the women, told the local ABC affiliate.
“I go on the porch and she said ‘Help me get out. I’ve been here a long time.'”
Ramsey said he tried to get her out through the door but could not pull it open, so he kicked out the bottom and she crawled through “carrying a little girl.”
Police arrived a few minutes later and discovered the two other women.
“All three women, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight, seem to be in good health,” Cleveland police said in a statement.
“A 52 year old Hispanic male has been placed under arrest regarding this incident.”
Berry was last seen at approximately 7:40 p.m. on April 21, 2003, after leaving work at a fast food restaurant that was just a few blocks from her home. She was 16 when she disappeared.
DeJesus was 14 when she disappeared while walking home from school on April 2, 2004.
She was last seen at a pay telephone booth, sometime between 2:45 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. that day
The story of Knight’s disappearance was not immediately known. –AFP