Two girls, ages 12 and 13, escaped through a window in their room and ran to alert a neighbor to their plight after their stepfather threatened them with a knife. Police found a third girl, aged 17, locked in a separate bedroom. The girls’ mother reported that they were being homeschooled. All three girls were dirty and malnourished, and they reported that they had not had a bath in six months. The girls’ rooms were rigged with padlocks, alarms, and video surveillance, and the girls were fed only once a day. The girls had been imprisoned in their rooms for months, with loud music or static (if the girls misbehaved) piped into their crudely soundproofed rooms 24/7. Several neighbors said they were unaware that there were children living in the home. The charges against the girls’ stepfather include sexual abuse.
Date: November 26, 2013
Location: Tucson, Arizona
| Documents: | Date: |
| Girls escape parents after months in captivity, police say | 2013-11-27 |
| Police review journal of Tucson teen held captive | 2013-11-27 |
| Details emerge on 3 girls held captive in Arizona home | 2013-11-27 |
| 2013-11-27 |
