Three young American women who went missing more than a decade ago have been found alive in Cleveland, Ohio, near where they had last been seen. Police identified the women as Amanda Berry, who disappeared in 2003, aged sixteen, Gina DeJesus, who vanished in 2004, aged fourteen, and Michelle Knight, who went missing in 2002, aged between eighteen and twenty.
Three brothers were arrested as suspects in the women’s disappearances, police said. One is a 52-year-old, who lives at the property where they were found. The other two men, aged 50 and 54, lived elsewhere. A six-year-old child was also found at the property.
In 2003, Amanda Berry called her sister to say she would get a lift home from her work at a Burger King restaurant. That was the last time her family heard from her. DeJesus was on her way home from school in 2004 when she went missing.
The story is still unfolding but the suspect is thought to be Ariel Castro. Reportedly, Berry managed to escape while the suspect was not home, and made a frantic call to police ending the victims’ decade-long incarceration.
"I heard screaming… And I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside," the neighbor, identified only as Charles, told NewsNet5."I go on the porch and she said: 'Help me get out. I've been here a long time.' I figured it was domestic violence dispute."
Although all three women are reported as in good health at least one is known to have a baby. Another eyewitness reported a woman holding a baby running out of the property screaming for help.
WDBJ7 reports the call Berry made to police:"Help me! I'm Amanda Berry. ...I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for ten years and I'm here. I'm free now," Berry, now 26, is heard frantically telling a 911 operator in a recording of the call released by police and posted on the website of the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper.In 2012, the girls’ cases were re-opened after a prison inmate tipped off authorities that Berry was dead and may have been buried in Cleveland. A plea bargain was agreed, on what is now known to have been false information.
Now that the women have been found relatively safe, the questions begin. How could the man keep the women a secret for such a long time? Surely, if there is at least one baby, authorities had to have some involvement somewhere along the line. What about the neighbors?
The suffering the girls and their families endured is unimaginable. They now have each other once more and can begin the long road to recovery.
This case however, in light of others which have involved long incarcerations, leaves you wondering how many other "missing" girls are being held prisoners in the heart of communities. It brings to mind the high-profile case of Jaycee Lee Dugard who was missing from 1991 until 2009.
Rico says he's not quite sure what is appropriate punishment for the perps, but the line from Pulp Fiction about 'going medieval on their ass' comes to mind...
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