‘House of Horrors’: Kidnapped Sex Slaves Held in Chains by School Bus Driver

Amanda Berry (left); Ariel Castro (center); Gina DeJesus (right)

Three women who had been held captive as sex slaves, raped repeatedly and held for over ten years were rescued today from what's being described as a 'house of horrors' in Cleveland, Ohio.

Amanda Berry was 16 when she was kidnapped in 2003, Gina DeJesus was 14 when she disappeared in 2004, and Michelle Knight was 18 when she went missing in 2002. Police have arrested the homeowner, Ariel Castro, 52, who worked as a school bus driver as well as his two brothers,Pedro Castro, 54 and Onil Castro, 50.

Chains and bondage equipment were reportedly found in the basement of the home at 2207 Seymour Avenue.

The women were rescued when one of the women, Amanda Berry managed to free herself from her restraints and called out to a neighbor, Charles Ramsey, who kicked the door down and helped her escape:



“I’m not the only one on the block that feels ashamed to know that we didn’t notice anything,” neighbor Juan Perez told Cleveland ABC-TV affiliate News 5. “He was a nice guy, he would come around and say hi. He gave the kids rides up and down the street on his four-wheeler.”

The three women have been released from a hospital where they were taken for treatment. At least one of the girls gave birth to a daughter while in captivity; the child is reportedly 6 years old.

I can only imagine how these women felt, seeing the sun foir the first time after ten years.

Ten years...my heart goes out to them.