BREAKING NEWS: Missing Cleveland Teens Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus And Michelle Knight Found Alive After 10 Years With Their Children- Suspect Ariel Castro and Brothers In Custody
Cleveland, OH Missing since 2003 ns 2004 respectively - Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were found alive this afternoon. Â A suspect who has not been identified is said to be interviewing with police.
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Previous TV link with Arlene Castro was from America’s Most Wanted, about a year after Gina disappeared. Definitely worth watching, imo.
Amanda said she was getting a ride home. Gina needed a ride. because she gave Arlene her bus fare to make a call.
—–
On another topic, I can’t find the link back. But I read an interview with Michele’s mother in which she said she has kept coming back to Cleveland to look for her daughter. (The rest of the family thought she was missing voluntarily.) On one visit, she thought she saw Michele in a mall(?) with an older man, at a distance, but the woman didn’t respond when she called her.
Watched Lizzy’s link. It seems that Gina was picked up by *someone* within a block and a half after parting ways with Arlene. So either the Castro brothers a) passed by their own daughter/niece and abducted Gina b) picked up Arlene and Gina or c) someone else is involved.
Seeing the house from different angles, perhaps larger than I originally thought. Two story?
I think technically 3 with basement and/or attic
B
2207 Seymour Ave This is a Single-Family Home located at 2207 Seymour Avenue, Cleveland OH. 2207 Seymour Ave has 4 beds, 1 bath, and approximately 1,436 square feet. The property has a lot size of 3,948 sqft and was built in 1890. The average list price for similar homes for sale is $142,225 and the average sales price for similar recently sold homes is $94,189. 2207 Seymour Ave is in the Tremont neighborhood in Cleveland, OH. The average list price for Tremont is $269,900.
http://www.trulia.com/homes/Ohio/Cleveland/sold/20687722-2207-Seymour-Ave-Cleveland-OH-44113
good exterior pictures
http://www.homesnap.com/OH/Cleveland/2207-Seymour-Avenue
It’s incredible these three disappeared in such close proximity to one another and where they were being held. Given that lead and neighbors calling LE re screams and a naked woman in the back yard, and another neighbor mentioning seeing a child’s face in an attic window, you would think officers would have been putting 2 and 2 together. Wow, parents better train their kids early on to be aware of their surroundings and pay attention. No headphones, no texting, no phone until you know you are in a safe place.
I am beginning to believe that there is much more to this story regarding other victims.
Sadly we have LE assigned to investigate that missed many opportunities to find these young women. The people are going to be forced to push on the public servants to get them to do their jobs.
Jane you have hit on the very thing that young people have not been taught. With all the distractions of electronic devices today, it only makes it worse. Your cell phone is both a lifeline and a distraction.
Young people do not think beyond the moment most of the time. Mothers and fathers have a difficult task to improve that behavior. Teaching children to be responsible for themselves and their siblings and friends has to begin before school age.
I worry that this will give other families of missing persons hope that their case could have a similar outcome, when in fact cases like these are an extreme statistical outlier in terms of possible outcomes. Not that I’m suggesting people give up their search, but the odds are after 10 years, you’re looking for a body not a live person. I am happy that these 3 women were found alive, but I hope it doesn’t lead other families to expect that their family member will be found alive. I’m sorry if that sounds insensitive, but with the way the media is in terms of hype I could see it being suggested that there might be a lot of cases like this – I already saw on a Jennifer Kesse thread someone suggest that, because the Ohio girls were found close to where they disappeared, all condos within a certain radius of where she disappeared be searched. Not only would this be legally impossible and an inefficient use of police resources, it’s also extremely unlikely she would be found alive in one of those condos. I apologize if this seems insensitive to the Kesses if you are reading, or any other families of missing persons who read Blink).
Lyndsay- I know that you are in the midst of your criminology studies and I so support your input. This might be one of those field-infused academic conversations.
On the surface, you are 100% correct. I can espouse statistics by literature, study, and case profile- in some cases by State v Federal jurisdiction. In Jennifer’s case, I worked her case personally, and by that I mean over several hundred investigative hours. I can safely say there is nobody other than me than perhaps her Father that knows her case file as well as I do. Begrudgingly, that includes the last SmART Team, and the last investigator. That would be the 10th and 14th, respectively. I say “me” because I did not allow access of the data to anyone on my team because of the nature of the potential associations which I wrote about. If I am right, and I have no doubt I am, there is a Federal component slowing this down, and it is welcomed by Orlando PD.
Your observation prompting your post is spot on. For what it is worth, I hope you appreciate my attempt to let my experience layer your academic work. It is very natural for ANY family member to want and ultimately align itself with a miraculous outcome.
Moving on from that issue- there is the media component that families of missing people or their reps become ravenous for. Media attention.
I had a meeting 2 weeks ago with a department head ( not permitted to identify) that involved my feedback that the curriculum was not including contemporary case values.
As a criminal investigative analyst in private practice, the first thing I do is assess the proposed Client’s expectation and understanding of those facts as they relate to the possible fairy dust.
Unfortunately I have never been wrong in my work to date, although I absolutely believe that I will be eventually. I have delivered bodies and the investigative materials associated with those findings.
Those folks knew the stats and probability from me at every turn, and sadly, ad nauseum once recovered, but my point is until their loved one was in front of them- the belief of the non-belief was pervasive.
My point is after the target is in front of them in some instances it gets worse.
Just asking you to consider the humanity and field-rated component simultaneously if you would.
B
There is nothing more that I would like than to have hope that Jennifer is alive. I do not believe she is. My training, education and experience upon compilation of her victimology and scene reports tells me emphatically she is deceased.
I am a personal friend to the Kesse family and I am a wildebeast if necessary to protect them. There is just no father I have ever known or worked with that dedicated more to finding his little girl.
Why am I bringing this up?
Because it is the phenom you will not learn in class. Yet, you should consider it in your career development. Statistically speaking.
That conversation may or may not be had with family based on the inventory at the time and forward.
It is fluid. It changes with time. It changes with a laundry list I could hit over 100.
The basic thing I want you to understand is that in a mp cases, like it or not, parents and loved ones go through a very predictable continuum. Sounds ridiculous, right? How can we say everyone is the same?
That’s just it. they are not, but they are different in their conformity if that makes sense. Like subtexts but all under “Victim A”.
Invariably family and loved ones will cling to hope whenever they can, and no establishing expectation or education is going to change that. Not in a mp case where the decedent has not been recovered.
So we can say anything we want. Defying reality and stats is the goal for them as a self protective measure. In some cases, it is a hindrance to the nth. In others, it is obstructive.
Just saw Mr. Ramsey’s interview with Anderson Cooper. Love that man!
@Jane: I think that even with changes in domestic violence laws and views on domestic violence, people are just unwilling to get involved in their neighbors’ business, even if what they’re doing is possibly criminal. Maybe they don’t want to wake a sleeping bear, and invite their neighbor’s negative attention if they call them out on it. I think some people are also very afraid of being wrong about it, or being wrong about their assumptions of what is going on. Especially in a neighborhood of homeowners, it is not easy to move or leave if you get into a disagreement with a neighbor. And I think lastly that a lot of people are just afraid of conflict and of being seen as a nosy neighbor, and afraid of the consequences of being a “snitch”, because “snitches get stitches”. It is easier to mind your own business and look the other way.
@ATG, I agree. I think this may be an enterprise, not just a lone family of perverts.
Yes ma’am and Sir. There is an incredible quiet in what should be a very noisy news day and I submit is about posturing.
B
Charles is my new favorite hero. I just love him! (he reminds me of a long ago friend that sadly passed away way too soon. )
I think as many of you, this is going to be a multi victim, unfolding story that has ruined countless lives.
And this Ariel idiot just posting on Facebook days ago about “miracles” and “God is good”.
brb…vomiting..
Did I read correctly he has a daughter in jail for slitting her 11month old babys throat??
The pure evil in that family.
That 911 call makes me cry. Begging the dispatcher to get someone there now, before he returns.
Sick world you guys, teach the kids to pay attention and the gift of fear. Don’t be afraid to scream, run, don’t worry about hurting someones feelings if you feel they’re acting weird.
Get away asap.
So they’ve spent the day on the property with GPR, etc, right??
You would be surprised at the warrant burden for GPR. ( Ground penetrating radar) It is large. In essence a warrant needs to satisfy the evidentiary probable cause and the statute per state if something criminal is found.
In short, on the front end, you better have the guns to see it and dig it up. That is a tall order in many cases.
B
MackiezMom says:
May 7, 2013 at 3:49 pm
Once again, I think of Michaela, taken down the street from our family home in Nov. 1988. My thoughts and prayers ad with the women, the little girl, and their families in Ohio, and also with Sharon, Michaela’s mom, and her family. I hoe to one day turn on the news and hear that Michael! Too, was found and is safe.
**********
Hi former neighbor. Even though I moved from there long ago, Michaela has never left my mind. Nor has her mother’s pain. I drove by that store every day on my way to and from work, grew up in that town. It changed my perspective on everything. Yep, everything.
OK; I finally saw the pictures of the FBI carting off pieces of the house. For some reason, I just have a strong feeling that haste is needed.
Yep.
They better. How do you know if vics are not at different sites?
B
These rescued young women may be able to shed some light on just what has happened to them over the years.
If this is indeed an enterprise and there are others that could be alive being held around Cleveland and other large cities, LE better be prepared to run hard and fast to get to them before they are transported elsewhere or killed.
We should all remember that human trafficing is the most lucrative business in the world. All young women are at risk when traveling alone. Sometimes young men too. Remember what happened to the two young boys in Missouri.
I agree with your assessment Blink on the humanity component of MP cases. Never having been in the position, I also have no idea what it’s like to have a missing daughter. And I would never see a missing person’s family as ridiculous for keeping up faith and hope that that person is alive. I was just using the Kesse post I saw as an example of how one might jump on the bandwagon of, “3 girls were found alive in a house, that means that all missing girls and women are being chained in a basement somewhere”. I have followed Kesse for years now and wait with frustration and impatience for a resolution to her case.
We should celebrate these women being found alive because it is so rare that a person is found alive, let alone 3. I hope they have access to years of counseling, but are also allowed the privacy to recover.
@Christy re: the gift of fear and teaching daughters to fight back – I really hate that it’s so necessary to do this. It really makes me angry. Men worry about getting mugged and maybe getting into a fistfight. But with women, the threat of rape is something that we just become used to dealing with, no matter what stage of life we are in. My best friend was raped on a cruise – her drink was drugged – and now I won’t let anyone bring me a drink – I have to see it being poured. I avoid wooded areas by myself, even if I want to hike and have no one to join me, because of countless cases like Meredith Emerson, etc. Explaining to my boyfriend why I can’t take the cheaper ground-floor apartment or hotel room. Having a bedroom window that’s easy to climb into from the outside hadn’t even occurred to him. Having my keys ready in my hand and pointed outward to stab someone when I’m walking across a parking garage toward my car. Crossing the street when a guy seems to be walking behind me for a few blocks too many. And countless other cases and examples of how womens’ lives are affected by crimes that specifically target us exponentially more than men. I remember one time walking home from a bus stop late at night after work, and this a-hole jumped out in my path to scare me. I freaked and started running, and he laughed. I was so angry about that and still am. No offense to the men on here, but it’s something that I think women think about and fear because it’s always a possibility when we are targeted as victims.
p.s., Blink, I started a Juvenile Law class tonight – where the human and academic approaches truly merge. Abuse and neglect cases are first on the docket.
What went on in the Castro family to mold these three men into what they have become? How many are in their wake? If an offender offends for an average of 16 years before they are caught for the first time, that means that these guys started offending in their mid-thirties…I doubt it. I’m not 100% sure about that statistic but I believe it is an average of 16 years. I am scared to imagine the wide net that was cast with so many victims. I don’t know how only these three men knew about this. It seems impossible.
Thankfully, Charles Ramsey was right there, in the middle of it, with his eyes open. How many before him chose to look the other way? If you see something, say something.
Oh, blink! Please don’t post my real name. Dang.
I caught it, no worries
B
Lindsay
You have described the behaviors and some of the thinking behind those behaviors regarding paying attention to what goes on in your neighborhood. There is a difference in being an observant person in the neighborhood and being a nosey person interested in everyone’s business.
Big city life has created the scene you describe. I have lived in both environments. City and small towns. Once in my lifetime it was possible to know people around the community for several blocks from your home. Today, some do not know the name of people who live in the same building with them.
One of the things that disturbs me in this current case is the possibility that this could be a very large enterprise that has the ability to pay off some in LE to keep their crimes a secret. LE needs to do an in depth investigation of each of these people identified.
Castro is a Hispanic name and these men may have come to this country from Cuba during the wave of immigration during the 1960′s. Or,their families could have been a part of that wave. It could have happened during the Carter administration when another wave was allowed to enter the country. That one was very dangerous because the Castro regime opened the prisons and allowed some real bad guys to come to the United States. The LE agencies spent a lot of time rounding them up and placing them in an old Army Base in Arkansas.
Human trafficking has become much more of an issue in Ohio in the last several years. There are charities forming to help victims of this garbage. I hope these 3 were not victims in that way, but this is so scary that they were held for so long. I am thrilled that they were found.
I wonder if Amanda fought so hard because of her daughter. People can do amazing things when their kids are involved!!
This makes me so sad. “Psychic” fraud Sylvia Brown told Amanda’s mother that her daughter was dead on the Montell Williams show. Amanda’s family said her Mom was never the same after Sylvia told her this and she died of heart failure (or a broken heart as the family said) a year later.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/amanda-berrys-mom-told-pyschic-sylvia-browne-berry/story?id=19126853#.UYnkSIUZe00
@ATG: I live in Boston, surrounded by a countless number of college students and campuses. Kids get mugged for their phones constantly because it’s so much easier than grabbing a purse – because everyone’s constantly walking around with their $500 iphone 5s in their hands, and $300 headphones covering their ears. The transit authority here even had to do a PSA campaign to remind people not to flash their phones around on the train, to take the earbuds out of their ears, and to be more aware of their surroundings. With technology getting smaller and more expensive it is becoming a street thief’s paradise. On the other hand, I’ve seen several flashers/perverts on the train caught because people were immediately able to take a photo of the person with a camera phone. It is also arguable if the Boston bombing suspects would have been ID’d so quickly were it not for everyone taking out their phones to snap pictures and video at the event. I would say technology has its pluses and minuses where crime is concerned.
Very upsetting to think of these people had been held for so many years and no one knew
It is wonderful they are free
Blink, can you please explain why is it taking so long for these pigs, excuse me… men, to be charged.
I am so disgusted by the behavior of these sick and twisted individuals, I hope that they will be ‘rewarded’ in prison and live the day to day fear that Amanda, Gina and Michelle lived for ten unbelievable years. There will be no bending over to pick up a bar of soap without watching their backs…
Getting these animals in prison can’t happen soon enough for me.
Considering the human trafficking potential here, I have to wonder if these young women were kept to breed children for sale into that hellish world. Holy, holy, the depravity. I wish I could be surprised but I don’t think much surprises me any more about human depravity. But there is a lot of good to focus on in this case as well. I am so grateful they are alive and healthy. Amanda Berry is an amazingly courageous woman.
Lindsay
Your description of people being mugged for their cell phones is not just a problem in Boston. Every large city is grappling with a similar problem. My earlier statement about a cell phone being both a lifeline and a distraction is the reason for this.
All young women who have some idea of what dangers lie in living in a large or small city should sit down with their friends and discuss ways of keeping one another safe.
A cruise was once a fine way to have a vacation. Today IMO it is one of the most dangerous ways. When the thieves and crooks discovered how easy it was to steal and rape on these ships, they became a favorite place to hunt.
The thing that needs to happen is for all people to realize that our society has become dangerous. This means that everyone must constantly be alert to things around them.
We live in the country where sometimes there are miles of roads with little traffic. I always watch for parked vehicles and pay attention to the persons in the front seat of a vehicle I am meeting on a roadway. Fortunately, I still have the visual acuity to do that. So many drive with poor vision and are unable to see those things. There are also a lot of wild animals along the roadway at night. A deer or large pig can destroy the front of a vehicle if hit.
Maybe the police logs are correct:
“Faliceonna Lopez, Samoylicz’ sister, told a slightly different version Tuesday night on CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live.” She said after seeing the woman, they told their mother, not police.
The mother, Annita Lugo, told Morgan that she didn’t call police, either, saying, “I definitely would have called then but it was hours later and I really — I really didn’t — you know, I was just stuck. I was dumbfounded, didn’t know how to take it, you know?”"
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/08/us/ohio-missing-women-found/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
@ Rose C
We want LE to take their time and charge the right people with the right offenses to result in a successful prosecution
I’d be curious to now know about the imprisoned daughter slitting that baby’s throat. Knowing what LE has recently learned, do you think it could have been because of incest? Do you think they would exhume the child’s body? Wonder what light the son and daughter could shed on what went on? Twinkle,I was also wondering if these women were being used as “broodmares”, if you will. There’s a lot of money in blackmarketing babies.
Jane
They have obtained serach warrents has of yesterday to search for fetus. Today their reporting they didn’t find any. It wouldn’t surprise me if they find some at other locations. These news outlets just leave me shaking my head. Their reporting that these three girls were sexually assaulted. I think the viewers already know this. Then they want statements from them. It’s like leave these girls alone let them get their sanity back before you start asking for statements. It will all come out eventually.
I am astounded at the comments from the mother of Michelle Knight, and to find that her case was never treated as a possible abduction. Wow…just…wow. The families of the other girls were looking for them, they are clearly loved, but Michelle…just…wow. Let no one dismiss the significance of the terror that this young woman has lived, simply because her family chose not to advocate for her, and she was a bit older.
The various news reports have made mention of special ed, pertaining to Gina, and a cousin made comments about Michelle having “the mind of a child” and being “mentally slow”. That surely does not diminish their worth, or the horror of the acts perpetrated against them. As much or more concern and protection should be afforded a person with special needs.
I am heartbroken over the terror these three have endured, grateful that most of their family members survived to see them return home, and devastated to know that Michelle Knight was so disregarded, not only by law enforcement and social services, but her own family, by their own admission/contentions. I am the last person to speak against grieving parents, but I do not believe that Michelle’s mother fall into that category. Just…wow.
Blink, do you have any additional information on Michelle’s condition, prognosis, and/or destination/disposition?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2321065/Kidnapping-victim-Michele-Knight-hearing-damage-facial-injuries-years-beatings.html
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/michelle_knight_mom_thrilled_to_cC3LkdPRfWp6DANe5Jl7HI
I do not.
B
@Jane, Thankfully, that child survived.
Little Janyla survived the attack and made a full recovery, the local Journal Gazette newspaper reported.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/cleveland-suspect-daughter-prison-attempted-murder-article-1.1337219#ixzz2SjXXeDX3
@MackiezMom:
We need to provide love and support to Michelle if she doesn’t have family to do so. I will support any and all efforts to help heal all 4 broken hearts and spirits.
I would not be surprised to learn that Amanda and Gina’s families reach out to Michelle. These women have been a family for 10 years under horrific conditions and I would think they have strong bonds.
Brothers not charged, only Ariel Castro. Evil. No apparent motive, except pure evil. Amanda’s smile and Gina’s thumbs up are both unbelievable testaments to human resilience. I hope Michele is finding some happiness as well.
Thank you, erose. I have been really busy and unable to read/watch everything.
@Jane, I thought the same thing at first as well. So much information to digest. Right now, I am blown away that they aren’t charging the brothers. Kind of shoots my theory *hit. I’m batting 0 for two today, but in both cases, me being wrong is a good thing.
Pretty disgraceful that they arrested the two brothers without any apparent evidence of their involvement. They will never get their reputations back. Hopefully this reminds all of us not to be so quick to jump to conclusions about people’s guilt, especially on such important matters. Seems that he may have essentially been a serial offender, except he kept his victims alive instead of killing them. There doesnt always have to be some grand conspiracy Terrible as it sounds, it may have been good for the victims that there were three of them, rather than being all alone in that situation.
Also read today that the rescuer, though an entertaining interview, is a conviction felon who has spent time in prison for multiple instances of domestic violence. Finally, it seems that the story about the neighbors calling the police because they saw a naked woman in the back yard wasn’t true.
I knew Ramsey’s record within 5 minutes of my post. For me, it was irrelevant to the situation as he likely saved these 3 women. The neighbor did not call police, but I dont know her story is false.
I would not be so quick to eliminate conspiracy of some kind Redly, there is much that is not known, and I am very suspicious Ashley Summers may have been a victim of this man. I would say 3-4 women captive for 10 years with multiple miscarriages where one is a friend of someone’s daughter worthy of complete scrutiny.
B
@ATG: Castro is a very common Hispanic surname. I think it’s a little premature to be speculating on countries of origin. The Castro family could have been here for generations – we don’t know.
What I do think is interesting however, if Castro’s neighbors did in fact report their observations to police and were ignored, and which no one seems to be talking about, is that Cleveland PD is currently under federal investigation for excessive use of force(as announced this past March). If the DOJ has actually put your department under review, there must be more problems under the surface. Excessive use of force really damages trust with the communities they are policing. Several LE officers have been fired as a result. When I heard in the 911 call the dispatcher say that they had to “wait until a car was available”, that indicated to me that maybe their resources are also stretched thin. It is not surprising to me then that this neighborhood was ignored – you’ve got cops probably paranoid about losing their jobs and trying to stay under the radar, they are probably trying to be very careful about how they respond to complaints while under the watchful eyes of DOJ.
re: not charging the 2 brothers: I thought that Amanda Berry was seen getting in a car with 3 men though? I assumed this would be all 3 brothers. This must have been wrong then?
The other 2 brothers are supposedly severe alcoholics. They may not have been physically able to control or abuse the women in their compromised state. If it makes anyone feel better, given their poor health, I feel they are not long for this world.
I did some research and Ariel Castro belongs to the Cleveland Puerto Rican Facebook website so he’s probably not from Cuba. Interestingly enough he joined that group just two days before Amanda escaped. Based on the timelines of his facebook page I am wondering if he recently got a computer in the house and this prompted Amanda to reach out for help. There’s a lot of recent activity by him right before she escapes and very little prior to that.
I agree that my first thought was that the daughter convicted of TRYING to kill her baby (This was not successful as there are pics of the little girl on facebook) might have seen some pretty horrific things. I originally thought that she was friends with Gina but it was her younger sister that was “best friends” with Gina. I think there’s a lot more to that story to come out.
When your daddy is a serial pedophile, kidnapper there’s no telling what went on in the house. His life seems very compartmentalized on his facebook postings where he’s very loving and grandfatherly to his family yet perpetrated these horrific crimes at the same time. It would be interesting to see his interaction with Amanda’s daughter and perhaps this gave Amanda more freedom which allowed her to escape. Another thought from his facebook page and his pride over his offspring, I find it difficult to believe that he would actually kill one of his own and wonder about the trafficking thing? He seems so narcissistic that I could see him selling his child before killing it.
I wanted to hug Michele when I read that she had to stay in the hospital because she didn’t have family to go home to. I am truly worried about her the most of the three. This integration back into society without the support of family is going to be hell and I don’t want to see her victimized again. Sounds like she lost custody of her son after her MOTHERs boyfriend abused him and then wham, she’s taken and no one even cares! The fact that her family doesn’t have one picture of her is sad and telling.
As far as Mr. Ramsey goes, my opinion of his has not changed one bit. He didn’t have to go help a screaming woman but he did. What I have not heard discussed is the rewards that were out for Gina and Amanda?? I know there was 20k at one point. I truly hope he gets this and I hope McDonalds still “gets in touch” with him. Amanda Berry was trying to survive. He got INVOLVED.
There is a PR flag flying on the perp’s front porch, & he lives in a predominantly PR neighborhood. Not that it matters, except that I think that speculation that he might be Cuban was based on Fidel’s gov intentionally shipping dangerous criminals/mentally ill to the US. The sirname Castro originates from Iberia. There are millions of Castros throughout the world, most certainly in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe. Vicious sociopathic/psychopathic scum comes in every size, shape, color, ethnicity, and social class.
Blink, 3 charges of rape, and 4 of kidnapping, what sort of max time is he looking at? this guy cannot be allowed to roam freely. I imagine that he’d serve sentences in aggregate, and am hoping that they have enough that he’ll never be eligible for parole.
WRT lack of remains at the property, garbage man probably comes at least once a week. Have to be a fool to keep them on site. He had his captives for trophies, so maybe he wouldn’t need baby/fetus/vic bodies. I find it unreasonable to think that there is no connection between these 3 and the other missing girl. And no wonder he isn’t admitting it. He’s only being charged with kidnapping and rape right now…why would he want to add a capital crime to it? What about multiple counts of false imprisonment, assault, battery, willful infliction of emotional distress?
Blink, creeps me out to think of vics being held at other sites, but I think it’s a very real possibility. Where was this guy when he wasn’t at that house?
I find it very suspicious that Gina gave her bus money to the perp’s daughter, which made it necessary to walk home, immediately after which, she was abducted. Sounds like pops had chosen her, and knew she would be walking on that path. In the AMW interview, the daughter is looking down and to the side, and fidgeting, and her speech is halting. Any feedback concerning her body language/speech patterns in that interview? I absolutely do not buy that no one else was involved or knew. Pedophilia starts at home, and I suspect that his daughters are among his victims. I am not intimating that the daughter intentionally set her friend up, but I wonder if she was asked where she’d be, given instructions, and if she knew after the fact.
@T.Ruth, my neighbor, I moved long ago, myself. I have never forgotten Michaela. I used to see her mom in that Lucky’s store in the Fairway Park Shopping Center all the time.
@KimPA, yes, we as a society most certainly should provide support for Michelle. She needs to know that people care, that she matters.
Way too soon to know if those will be the only charges, etc. By law he had to be charged w/in 72 hours. I can’t say that an alleged rapist and abductor was a pedophile because all 3 women were abducted post puberty but I can say that this man shows behaviors of the strong anti social variety with escalated violence and it would NOT surprise me to learn he used lures. I was distressed to hear LE said they believe they did everything they could to find these women.
I am vehement that this circle is not getting any wider and as info becomes available it is going to be glaring that things were missed. The way to handle that is to say that as the investigation continues they will learn collectively how this could remain undetected in their jurisdiction. If it really can, I mean really can, what does that say about LE and society as a whole? Could this happen anywhere? What should be the lessons? This needs to be the directive, not shifting accountability.
This occurred to me the other day- what was this guy doing- going to Sam’s and buying cases of feminine hygiene products and never raises any flags?
I remain very concerned about Ashley Summers.
B
@Scout, I have 2 friends (maybe a third, can’t remember if she went on, or not), all moms with dead children, who went on the James Von Praagh show. They asked me to go on, and I passed initially, and I eventually agreed, but the show was cancelled before I went. The things that JVP said to my friends fit most situations where a person has a child who has died, and one friend told me that he watched her movements very closely, and that he mentioned many things that were not accurate, but would quickly move on and notice when he was getting a hit. She thought it was BS. I want to think that these people (psychics) are well intended, and I think that they are somewhat intuitive, whether one believes in psychics or not.
Tellya, if I had a missing kid, and a respected psychic told me that they were dead, that on top of the stress of the abduction, and my child being missing, would probably do me in, too. Who knows, maybe Sylvia reads here, if she does, hey, Syl, do no harm is a really good tenet to adhere to. I believe that the reading Sylvia gave, where she essentially pronounced Amanda dead, added such unbearable stress and took away hope.
Don’t even get me started on pyschics. Throw Gale St. Fraud in the mix.
B
did I say millions of Castros? Well, many, many. Millions might be an exaggeration. Maybe millions if you count ancestors.
That’s why the DA was defensive about his Puerto Rican heritage.
I didn’t think his personal interjection of self into the case on his first press conference was wise.
Wish could be tried in Federal Court.
Whoever is releasing lurid personal details re these ladies’ ordeal
(worker in hospital system?)
should be investigated and fired.
Besides his Court involvement, I assumed another issue.
he was on his feet maintaining a steady job and stable housing and what more can any of us ask.
he got involved in a situation that could have been very dangerous to him when he heard a lady scream.
She’s blessed he moved in.
——
The DA identified the men as P Rican in his press conf.
Castro is of Puerto Rican heritage. Google street view shows a flag hanging from the front porch.
Statistics show that Castro, and probably his siblings, suffered repeated, long term childhood abuse. It is still early to make that call but it is almost sure to come out in future interviews.
The discrepancy on whether the neighbors did, or did not call LE may be easily explained. They may have called the local precinct instead of 911. 911 would have records of any call. Sgt. Smith on the desk phone would not.
Miss Knights’ prolonged hospital stay may be due to basic survival instinct. Why would she want to leave a place where she is fed regularly, not beat or threatened, and the average person dotes on her and is kind? While I know little of her capabilities or “slowness”, I feel for her most of all. The childlike moniker elevates her need, and therefore, status with me. She is also reported to be 4′ 7″. I almost went catatonic while pondering her brother saying he was unaware she had been missing. Nuff said.
The morning news reports scream that Castro needs to be charged with a few hundred crimes. He is through as a free man.
Mr. Ramsey is a proven criminal. He is clearly a product of long term substance abuse. Let’s ask the women he aided if they care. While he may be responsible for the Lindbergh baby, on that day circumstances easily dictated his course of action and he did the right thing. I am bumfuzzled that he has declined the rewards, if offered. Clearly Mr. Ramsey has an inner beacon that guides him when in circumstances beyond his reason. I think he should be forced to accept any rewards. McD’s should also reward him, in product value, based on current market value of the advertising they received in a euphoric, feel good, situational interview. His words were worth way more than twenty national commercials.
I hope all of these women are offered the educational opportunities they may have been robbed of. I also wish for educational opportunities for Castro. It is time for that old dog to learn some new tricks……
Y’all are outrageous, bodacious, and tenacious. Thanks for having me.
There you are my fave ginger. The pleasure is ours. Very well said. Maybe it is Mr. Ramsey’s turn for an opportunity to turn his life’s compass North and he will remain my hero for doing what he did. Dr. Drew- if you are reading, perhaps you would consider Mr. Ramsey for a gratis program ?
B
Regarding Mr. Ramsey, I can only hope that this event may be the first step to changing his life for the good.
When referring to a person with a drug addiction who was seeking treatment A very wise woman once told me- What is the point of a person trying to improve their life and relationships if nobody cares if they do?
I will be the first person to say that the substance addiction thing is not my area of expertise academically and my training and education only deals with it in terms of criminal analysis data points.
So to Mr Ramsey- we care and thank you.
B
If it turns out to be true that Ariel Castro implicated his daughters’ stepfather in the Berry and DeJesus disappearances, then, imo, that’s a huge missed opportunity. According to this story, Castro also accused the stepfather of abusing his daughters. In addition, this story seeems to imply that one or both of Castro’s daughters knew Berry.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/05/fbi_previously_investigated_th.html
Being familiar with FBI lingo, the term scrubbed is used in place of redaction- I wonder if he used that term incorrectly on purpose. I believe this happened. If Summers is also a victim of this man, it would seem investigating a man who has the right profile and had a daughter who knew both girls, one of which was walking home with her, could have avoided her fate. That said, my sources are telling me that the FBI is keeping the possibility that Summers was also related to this case on the lowest of the down low.
B
Per radio news I heard Castro was a welfare recipient. How on earth was he feeding himself and four others? Also, what punishment could there ever be to fit this crime and many of the others we read about each day. I just can’t imagine having my youth stolen and being imprisoned, tormented and abused for years. I also wonder how many other MP may be out there in the same situation. God bless these women and I hope in some way they can move forward. Jeezie…
Not being snark here, but I wonder of the FBI had a warrant on the girls SS#? I am aware of several cases of mp and abductions where the abductor literally claimed the exemption by SS#.
B
I just want to wrap Michelle Knight in my arms and let her know she is loved and matters. What a horrible story she has; I don’t believe her mother was too concerned about her. Plus, learning she had a toddler and had lost custody just prior to the abduction; that poor girl has been thru so much. And as of this morning, it sounds as if her mother still has not seen her or talked with her yet, though the brothers have. I watched the interview with her mother at this link; I feel like her mother didn’t even know her own daugther. She said her daughter didn’t have any kind of mental illness. Wow. I hope the families of the other girls reach out to Michelle. How can she be missing for 10 years and her brothers didn’t even know she was ‘missing’.
http://radaronline.com/exclusives/2013/05/michelle-knight-cleveland-abduction-barbara-knight-today/