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Suspect in Cleveland Kidnapping Had Contact With Police Suspect in Cleveland Kidnapping Had Contact With Police
(about 1 hour later)
The police had been called two times to a house where three young women from Cleveland, who disappeared about a decade ago and who friends and relatives feared were gone forever, were found on Monday, the authorities said on Tuesday. In 2000, the owner of the house, Ariel Castro, had called the police about a fight in the street. In 2004, the authorities interviewed Mr. Castro after he “inadvertently” left a child on a school bus. The police had been called two times to a house where three young women from Cleveland, who disappeared about a decade ago and who friends and relatives feared were gone forever, were found on Monday, the authorities said on Tuesday. In 2000, the owner of the house, Ariel Castro, had called the police about a fight in the street. In 2004, the authorities interviewed Mr. Castro, a driver, after he “inadvertently” left a child on a school bus.
At a news conference providing the preliminary details of the episode, the police and investigators said that they had discovered the previous calls after they combed through their databases following the discovery of the women. The women appeared to be physically unharmed, the authorities said shortly after they were discovered. Neither of those visits by the authorities resulted in any arrests, nor was there any indication about the dramatic discovery for which Mr. Castro is now being held. But at a news conference on Tuesday, the police and investigators said that they were slowly starting to unravel the thread of events that led up to the escape of the women after one of them, Amanda Berry, tried to force her way through the front door of the house on Seymour Avenue.
The police did not offer any immediate information about how the women were found, but they said in a statement that three men, all in their 50s, had been arrested in connection with the episode. On Tuesday they said Mr. Castro, 52, was arrested, along with two of his brothers, Pedro Castro, 54,and Oneil Castro, 50. On Tuesday the authorities said Mr. Castro, 52, was one of those arrested in connection with the case. Two of his brothers, Pedro, 54, and Oneil, 50, were also arrested.
The police identified the women as Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, who were in their teens when they disappeared, and Michelle Knight who was 20 when she vanished. All were found in the home, in a residential neighborhood not far from where they reportedly disappeared. Also in the house was a 6-year old girl, believed to be Ms. Berry’s daughter. The authorities did not release the identity of the child’s father. The saga started to unfold on Monday when Ms. Berry told a dispatcher that she had been kidnapped and pleaded for the police to come before the man who was holding her captive returned. The 911 call was released by the authorities to local news media.
The police said they were executing a search warrant at the house, at 2207 Seymour Ave. On Tuesday, the three women were released from MetroHealth hospital, after they had been taken to the emergency room and were described as in “fair condition,” the hospital said. It said they were reunited with their families.
The saga unfolded on Monday when, Ms. Berry told a dispatcher that she had been kidnapped and pleaded for the police to come before the man who was holding her captive returned. The 911 call was released by the authorities to local news media.
“I’m Amanda Berry, I’ve been on the news for the last 10 years,” she said.“I’m Amanda Berry, I’ve been on the news for the last 10 years,” she said.
A neighbor, Charles Ramsey, told local television reporters that a woman’s screams drew him to a house on his block.A neighbor, Charles Ramsey, told local television reporters that a woman’s screams drew him to a house on his block.
“This girl is kicking the door and screaming,” he said. “I said, ‘Can I help? What’s going on?’ And she said, ‘I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been in this house a long time. And I want to leave right now.’ ”“This girl is kicking the door and screaming,” he said. “I said, ‘Can I help? What’s going on?’ And she said, ‘I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been in this house a long time. And I want to leave right now.’ ”
Mr. Ramsey said he and his neighbors broke through the door and Ms. Berry came out with the girl. He said the police then went in and brought out the other two women. Mr. Ramsey said he and his neighbors broke through the door and Ms. Berry came out with a little girl. He said the police then went in.
It has not yet been determined whether the women had been held as sex slaves, the authorities said. On Tuesday, the police in Cleveland said they still had to fully interview Ms. Berry and the other two women to get a complete picture of why and how they ended up in the house. Gina DeJesus, who along with Ms. Berry had been missing since she was a teenager, and Michelle Knight who was 20 when she vanished, followed Ms. Berry out of the house after the police arrived.
Martin Flask, a public safety official in Cleveland, said there was no indication any of the neighbors, or other witnesses or anyone else had ever called about the women. Chief Michael McGrath, of the Cleveland Division of Police, said it was because of Ms. Berry’s “brave actions” that the other two women were able to escape as well.
Ms. Berry, who is now 27, was last seen leaving her job at a Cleveland Burger King in April 2003. Almost exactly a year later, Ms. Dejesus, now 23, disappeared as she was walking home from school. The police said on Tuesday that Ms. Knight had not been seen since August 22, 2002. Also in the house was the girl, a 6-year old, believed to be Ms. Berry’s daughter. The authorities did not release the identity of the child’s father, nor did they reveal more details about the condition of the women, saying that they were concerned with their emotional well-being.
Ms. Berry, who is now 27, was last seen leaving her job at a Cleveland Burger King in April 2003. Almost exactly a year later, Ms. Dejesus, now 23, disappeared as she was walking home from school. The police said on Tuesday that Ms. Knight had not been seen since August 22, 2002, and that a missing persons’ report was made by a family member the next day.
The police said they were executing a search warrant at the house, at 2207 Seymour Ave.
The authorities said they discovered the previous calls to the house after they combed through their databases following the discovery of the women. Martin Flask, the director of public safety in Cleveland, said there was no indication of criminal intent by Mr. Castro in relation to the school bus incident, and as far as the authorities could determine, there was no record any of the neighbors, bystanders or other witnesses or anyone else had ever called about the women in relation to the house where they were eventually found.
The women appeared to be physically unharmed, the authorities said shortly after they were discovered.
On Tuesday, they were released from MetroHealth hospital, where they had been taken to the emergency room and described as in “fair condition,” the hospital said. It said they were reunited with their families.
“The nightmare is over,” Stephen D. Anthony, special agent in charge of the Cleveland division of the F.B.I., said.
Family members and friends of the women reacted to the news with a mixture of shock and elation.Family members and friends of the women reacted to the news with a mixture of shock and elation.
“I’m so thankful, God is good,” Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of Ms. DeJesus, told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I’ve been praying. Never forgot about her, ever.”“I’m so thankful, God is good,” Kayla Rogers, a childhood friend of Ms. DeJesus, told The Cleveland Plain Dealer. “I’ve been praying. Never forgot about her, ever.”
On Monday, television images showed neighbors lining the streets, applauding as emergency vehicles whisked the women away.On Monday, television images showed neighbors lining the streets, applauding as emergency vehicles whisked the women away.

Michael Schwirtz contributed reporting.