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| 2 Kidnapping Victims Make Homecomings in Cleveland | 2 Kidnapping Victims Make Homecomings in Cleveland |
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| CLEVELAND — Cleveland law enforcement authorities on Wednesday charged the owner of the home where three young women were imprisoned for about a decade with four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape. The two other men who were arrested after the women were discovered will not be charged in the case, the authorities said in a news conference. | |
| The Cleveland city prosecutor, Victor Perez, announced the charges against Ariel Castro, 52, at a news conference late Wednesday afternoon. | |
| Earlier in the day, two of the women, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, each arrived at a family home for the first time since their disappearance about a decade ago. The third abducted women, Michelle Night, who vanished at age 20 in 2002, remained in good condition Wednesday afternoon at the city’s Metro Health Medical Center, according to a hospital spokeswoman. | |
| The years of captivity ended late Monday when Ms. Berry, who had not been seen since she left her job at a local Burger King on April, 21, 2003, when she was 17, appeared at the front door of 2207 Seymour Avenue, where the police said she and the other women were held. Accompanied by a young child as she tried to flee, she screamed: “I need help! I need help! I have been kidnapped for 10 years!” before fleeing with the help of neighbors. | The years of captivity ended late Monday when Ms. Berry, who had not been seen since she left her job at a local Burger King on April, 21, 2003, when she was 17, appeared at the front door of 2207 Seymour Avenue, where the police said she and the other women were held. Accompanied by a young child as she tried to flee, she screamed: “I need help! I need help! I have been kidnapped for 10 years!” before fleeing with the help of neighbors. |
| On Wednesday, Ms. Berry’s sister’s home, about a 10-minute drive from the Seymour Avenue residence, was decorated with balloons, yellow ribbons and posters welcoming her back as crowds gathered across the street, as directed by the police, to await her return. Before noon, a motorcade escorted by police motorcycles, pulled up to the home, and several people hurried into the residence, with at least one person holding a child. | On Wednesday, Ms. Berry’s sister’s home, about a 10-minute drive from the Seymour Avenue residence, was decorated with balloons, yellow ribbons and posters welcoming her back as crowds gathered across the street, as directed by the police, to await her return. Before noon, a motorcade escorted by police motorcycles, pulled up to the home, and several people hurried into the residence, with at least one person holding a child. |
| Ms. Berry, whose mother died when she was captive, was inside the house briefly before her sister, Beth Serrano, stepped outside and spoke to a crush of reporters, saying Amanda and her daughter were home and wanted to “thank the public and media for their support.” Appearing to fight tears, she also requested privacy for her sister, her niece and herself as they recover and before they could make a further statement. | Ms. Berry, whose mother died when she was captive, was inside the house briefly before her sister, Beth Serrano, stepped outside and spoke to a crush of reporters, saying Amanda and her daughter were home and wanted to “thank the public and media for their support.” Appearing to fight tears, she also requested privacy for her sister, her niece and herself as they recover and before they could make a further statement. |
| At the home of Ms. DeJesus, crowds cheered as the young woman arrived home, amid a large police presence. The crowd chanted “Gina! Gina!” as she walked into the house with her face covered, while friends and relatives hugged in the front yard. Clusters of balloons filled the yard. | At the home of Ms. DeJesus, crowds cheered as the young woman arrived home, amid a large police presence. The crowd chanted “Gina! Gina!” as she walked into the house with her face covered, while friends and relatives hugged in the front yard. Clusters of balloons filled the yard. |
| Her aunt, Sandra Ruiz, made a brief statement to reporters outside the home. She thanked the authorities and the community for their help. | Her aunt, Sandra Ruiz, made a brief statement to reporters outside the home. She thanked the authorities and the community for their help. |
| “Thank you again for your prayers and support,” Ms. Ruiz said. “There are not enough words to say or express the joy that we feel for the return of our family member Gina.” | “Thank you again for your prayers and support,” Ms. Ruiz said. “There are not enough words to say or express the joy that we feel for the return of our family member Gina.” |
| At the news conference, the authorities said they now believed that Mr. Castro’s brothers, Pedro, 54, and Onil, 50, who were arrested after two neighbors freed Ms. Berry, were unaware that the women were being held in their brother’s home. | |
| After the two neighbors freed Ms. Berry by kicking in the chained front door and helped her make an urgent call to 911, the three Castro brothers were arrested. As the authorities continued investigating, more details trickled out about what the women endured throughout their captivity. Chief Michael McGrath of the Cleveland police told the “Today” show on Wednesday that the women had been tied up inside the house and that investigators had found ropes and chains. | |
| Chief McGrath, asked about the reports that the women were physically bound, said: “We have confirmed that. We have confirmation that they were bound, and there were chains and ropes in the home.” But he said the investigators would have a better understanding of how often they were restrained when the interviews were completed on Wednesday. He also said they were “very rarely” allowed outside, or “released out in the backyard once in a while, I believe.” | Chief McGrath, asked about the reports that the women were physically bound, said: “We have confirmed that. We have confirmation that they were bound, and there were chains and ropes in the home.” But he said the investigators would have a better understanding of how often they were restrained when the interviews were completed on Wednesday. He also said they were “very rarely” allowed outside, or “released out in the backyard once in a while, I believe.” |
| A law enforcement source who is familiar with the investigation said that authorities had recovered more than 200 items from the house, including various types of bondage materials. The source insisted on anonymity because of the continuing investigation. | A law enforcement source who is familiar with the investigation said that authorities had recovered more than 200 items from the house, including various types of bondage materials. The source insisted on anonymity because of the continuing investigation. |
| Another law enforcement source, who also did not want to be identified because the source was not authorized to speak about the investigation, said that the three women had been sexually abused and that at least initially, they were kept in separate rooms. A working theory, the source said, is that the women “just dealt with Ariel” and not the other brothers. The source added that authorities are working to find out if Ariel Castro, who knew Ms. DeJesus because she was a close friend of his daughter Arlene, also knew Ms. Berry and Ms. Knight. | Another law enforcement source, who also did not want to be identified because the source was not authorized to speak about the investigation, said that the three women had been sexually abused and that at least initially, they were kept in separate rooms. A working theory, the source said, is that the women “just dealt with Ariel” and not the other brothers. The source added that authorities are working to find out if Ariel Castro, who knew Ms. DeJesus because she was a close friend of his daughter Arlene, also knew Ms. Berry and Ms. Knight. |
| In the Seymour Avenue neighborhood, people searched their memories over the years as they tried to understand how the women could have been held there undetected so long. One neighbor had noticed occasional late-night deliveries of groceries to the boarded-up shoe box of a house where the women were kept, in a rough-edged West Side Cleveland neighborhood. | In the Seymour Avenue neighborhood, people searched their memories over the years as they tried to understand how the women could have been held there undetected so long. One neighbor had noticed occasional late-night deliveries of groceries to the boarded-up shoe box of a house where the women were kept, in a rough-edged West Side Cleveland neighborhood. |
| Another neighbor remarked on a porch light that burned at night, even though many of the windows were covered. | Another neighbor remarked on a porch light that burned at night, even though many of the windows were covered. |
| “Why would an abandoned house have a porch light on?” he recalled thinking. | “Why would an abandoned house have a porch light on?” he recalled thinking. |
| Still another said his sister had once seen a figure in an upstairs window, pounding on the glass. | Still another said his sister had once seen a figure in an upstairs window, pounding on the glass. |
| Chief McGrath said he expected the “charging process” of the suspects to be completed on Wednesday. The police have until early Wednesday evening to present the case to the city prosecutor, who will then determine what, if any, charges are warranted, a statement said. | |
Steven Yaccino reported from Cleveland, and Christine Hauser from New York. Erica Goode and Emma G. Fitzsimmons contributed reporting from New York. | Steven Yaccino reported from Cleveland, and Christine Hauser from New York. Erica Goode and Emma G. Fitzsimmons contributed reporting from New York. |