Found Alive: 3 Women Escape Cleveland Kidnappers
Get the story of their unbelievable capture and escape.
1 / 13
Found Alive - As investigators begin to unravel the miraculous story of three abducted women who were found alive in a Cleveland home, BET.com takes a look at the unbelievable events surrounding the escape of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. (Photo: AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
2 / 13
Details Emerge - Two days after the women escaped from the home, unofficial details began to emerge about the horrors of the womens' captivity. Local news station WYKC reports that the women were forced to have sex with their alleged captors and suffered routine beatings. (Photo: AP Photo/Cleveland Police Department)
3 / 13
Friend of the Family - The family of kidnapped Gina DeJesus told a local reporter that suspect Ariel Castro was a relative of one of DeJesus' friends and attended at least two vigils for the missing women. (Photo: AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
4 / 13
House of Horrors - Cleveland news outlets say multiple sources have confirmed that during their captivity, two of the women were often held in the basement and one woman was held in a room upstairs. Reports say one of the rooms had chains hanging from the ceiling and neighbors say they recall seeing naked women with dog leashes around their necks crawling around the backyard.(Photo: AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
5 / 13
Safe and Sound - On May 6, 2013, all three women were found safe and police arrested three brothers, Ariel, Pedro and Onil Castro, who have been accused of holding the victims against their will. Berry, DeJesus and Knight all disappeared in Cleveland a decade ago. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 13
Without a Trace - On Aug. 23, 2002, Michelle Knight, 20, vanished after she was last seen at a cousin's house. Amanda Berry, 16, disappeared on April 21, 2003, after leaving her job at a Burger King, and Georgina "Gina" DeJesus, 14, disappeared on April 4, 2004, while walking home from school. (Photo: AP Photo/Tony Dejak, File)
7 / 13
Holding out Hope - The families of the women were relieved to hear of their rescue Monday. Tasheena Mitchell (pictured above), cousin of Amanda Berry, waited nervously outside MetroHealth Medical Center shortly after the women were found alive. Berry’s mother died in 2006 after being hospitalized with pancreatitis and other ailments. (Photo: AP Photo/The Plain Dealer, Gus Chan)
8 / 13
Amanda Finds a Way - Amanda Berry was the first to emerge from the house where the women were held captive. A neighbor says she was crying and was dressed in pajamas and old sandals as she and a 6-year-old girl escaped the house with the help of another neighbor, Charles Ramsey. (Photo: AP Photo/Plain Dealer, Scott Shaw)
9 / 13
Neighbor to the Rescue - Neighbor Charles Ramsey told reporters he rushed over to the house after hearing screams and discovered Berry trying to push her way out of a small opening in the doorway. Ramsey says he then knocked the door down and a scared, nervous Berry came rushing out. (Photo: AP Photo/The Plain Dealer, Scott Shaw)
10 / 13
Safe Getaway - After escaping from the house, Berry called 911 and informed the dispatcher that she was a missing person and that two other women (DeJesus and Knight) were still back in the house. (Photo: Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT