Three young girls in Tuscon say they have been imprisoned for years by their mother and stepfather after a dramatic escape this week, and now police are investigating the home and are looking for answers.
The girls, who range in age from 12 to 17, said they were only fed once a day and hadn’t been allowed to bathe in at least six months. The two youngest girls managed to climb out a window and run to a neighbor’s home in an escape after they say their stepfather kicked in the bedroom door and threatened them with a knife. The oldest girl, they say, hadn’t been seen in years. She was found locked in a separate bedroom when police arrived.
34-year-old Fernando Richter and 32-year-old Sophia Richter have now been arrested on charges of kidnapping, child emotional abuse, and child physical abuse, and Fernando Richter has an added charge of sexual abuse against a child under 15 years of age. Further details have not been released due to the ongoing investigation, but at least one neighbor says she didn’t even know that anyone was living in the home.
It’s not clear at this time where the girls are being kept, but authorities say they are being taken care of.
“We are doing all we can to make sure these kids are kept safe,” Captain Michael Gillooly said.
Image: Thinkstock