An 18-year-old escaped from a New Jersey house where she allegedly experienced years of torture while being held captive by her mother and stepfather.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, officials were told on Saturday that the victim had escaped and sought help at a neighbor’s residence.
That neighbor, who preferred not to be identified, told WPVI that he was instantly concerned about the 18-year-old’s appearance.
“She definitely had scars on her wrist from, I think, being chained up,” he told me. “She had shaved her head. And she stated that as punishment, her mother will shave her head. The neighbor dialed 911. He also said he hadn’t seen the victim in eleven years.
Officers were dispatched to the home to investigate. The young woman later told authorities that she had been held captive in her house for several years and was subjected to physical and sexual abuse.
During the inquiry, the victim informed police that the abuse had been ongoing since roughly 2018. In sixth grade, she was yanked out of school and forced to stay at home.
The woman stated shortly after that she was forced to reside in a dog kennel for about a year and was only let out sometimes.
The girl claimed she was eventually forced to dwell in a padlocked bathroom while chained up. She claimed that she was only allowed to leave the restroom when family members visited the house.
At other occasions, she claimed she was forced to live in a barren room with only a bucket for a toilet. If she attempted to leave, the room’s alarm system would sound.
Officials identified the accused as the victim’s mother, Brenda Spencer, 38, and stepfather, Branndon Mosley, 41.
The victim told detectives that Mosley sexually molested her and struck her with a belt. The assault went on for years until she escaped last week and sought aid from a neighbor.
Spencer and Mosley were arrested on Sunday and face many counts, including kidnapping, assault, and child endangerment.
Mosley is facing new charges of sexual assault.
According to officials, Spencer was unemployed, while Mosley worked as a train conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. They are being imprisoned at the Camden County Correctional Facility.
Detectives who searched the house stated the evidence supported the victim’s story. They stated the victim appeared to be living in “squalid conditions” with several dogs, chinchillas, and other animals.
Detectives claimed they also discovered the victim’s 13-year-old sister at the house, who was also removed from school years ago. It’s unknown whether she was also abused.
Investigators discovered that when Spencer stopped taking the girls to school some years ago, she informed the school district that she had intended to homeschool them. Camden County Prosecutor Grace Macaulay stated that no regulations in New Jersey demand any follow-up for homeschooling children.
“In New Jersey, parents are merely needed to notify the school district that they want to homeschool. The New Jersey Department of Education does not require follow-up or confirmation of attendance records, minimal instructional time, subjects, or testing. Certainly, this instance demonstrates the need to revise and revisit such statutes. Macaulay stated.
Another neighbor expressed surprise that she rarely saw the youngsters who resided there.
“I did find it strange that the kids never came outside, only to get food out of the car and go back in, but other than that, you never see them,” she told me. “They don’t go to school, they don’t play with other children or anything like that.”
Anyone with information is encouraged to call Detective Timothy Jordan of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Special Victims Unit at (856) 365-3073 or Detective Daniel Ritz of the Gloucester Township Police Department at (856) 228-4500. Tips can also be submitted to CAMDEN. TIPS.
