Amanda Berry (center) at a Cleveland hospital alongside her sister (left) and the daughter she gave birth to during the years she was held against her will.
Amanda Berry — who was abducted when she was just 16 — is said to be “the real hero” after she escaped the home of her captor and alerted police of the other two missing women — Georgina DeJesus and Michele Knight — being held against their will. The kidnapped women were imprisoned only 3 miles away from where they were abducted.
Now, the pieces of this dreary case’s complex puzzle are coming together as it is confirmed that the 6-year-old girl found inside the home is Amanda Berry’s daughter. The young girl is believed to be fathered by one of the captors.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Mother and Daughter Were Hospitalized for Dehydration and Malnourishment
According to the DailyMail, the women and young girl were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center, as they are reportedly suffering from severe dehydration and malnourishment Dr Gerald Maloney, an emergency department physician, said they were in “fair condition.”
2. The Father is Believed to be One of the Captors
The alleged captors are Ariel Castro, 52 (left), who owns the Cleveland home where the women were found, and his two brothers including 54-year-old Pedro Castro (right).
At a press conference, authorities confirmed that the little girl was born to Berry while she was in captivity, but it is not known which of the suspects if any, is the father.
Of the three brothers arrested, Ariel Castro was the only one to live at the home where the three women were apparently held. The others lived elsewhere in the city.
Julio Castro, the captors’ uncle, told CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 on Monday that his family had grown up in the same west Cleveland neighborhood and knew the Dejesus family — family of one of the kidnapped women. “Shame on you,” Julio Castro said, when asked what he would say to his nephews. Castro told CNN’s Martin Savidge on Tuesday that family members were “surprised” over the developments.
Ariel Castro used to work as a bus driver for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, according to district spokeswoman Roseann Canfora.
Castro has lived in the house since 1992 and he was arrested for domestic violence in 1993.
3. Kidnapped Women Were Forced to Have Sex With Their Captors
Amanda Berry, along with the two other kidnapped women, were forced to “have sex with their captors”, reports Channel 3 News. Police sources claim one of the women had as many as three miscarriages because she was so malnourished
Amanda is believed to have given birth to her inside the home.
4. The Kidnap Victims Were Impregnated Five Times
According to Tom Meyer @wkyc … captors raped the women resulting in 5 pregnancies, then beat them. Babies did not survive.
— Betsy Kling – WKYC (@BetsyKling) May 7, 2013
Reports claim report that the three kidnap victims “gave birth to at least five babies” while they were held captive at Cleveland home for a decade. One source told investigator Tom Meyer that the captors would beat the pregnant girls.
It is unclear what happened to the other babies. Cleveland police and FBI agents searched the yard, which showed signs that dirt had recently been moved there.
Amanda Berry’s daughter is the only child to have survived.
5. Castro Was Seen Outside with the Little Girl
Aerial views of a Ariel Castro’s house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland, Ohio. (Via WENN.com)
Neighbors said they often saw Ariel Castro walking on the street with who is believed to be Amanda Berry’s 6-year-old daughter.
Another neighbor said he saw Castro at the park Sunday with a little girl and asked who it was. “He said it was his girlfriend’s daughter,” Lugo told CNN.