I Love to Read True Crime Books
I am reading The Lost Girls by John Glatt.
It is about the kidnappings and false imprisonment of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus by Ariel Castro who was convicted of the crime. The young women were held in his attic and basement for many years until one of them finally managed an escape and the police were called by neighbors.
What absolutely amazes me about this true story is that the evidence of what was happening was right out front and yet no one did anything. The police had been called to that house many times because neighbors reported screaming, and many other clear signs of something being wrong at that house. One neighbor even described the women in the backyard chained like dogs and being abused. In each case the police knocked on the door of Castro's house, got no answer, then gave up and left, never returning nor checking it out in any serious way.
Then there was the history of Ariel Castro himself, a man with some obvious problems regarding women and violence; he had put his first wife in the hospital numerous times and gave her blood clots on her brain which eventually led to her death. Many people knew this.
Castro had a lot of trouble on his job, including one charge of child abuse for mistreating a school kid (Castro was a school bus driver for many years) and so many misdeeds on the job he was eventually fired.
Castro was a talented musician who had a lot of trouble with other musicians and was eventually kicked out of his band.
Castro behaved in a very strange way with relatives, neighbors,and friends, especially in regard to his house. He didn't even allow his adult children to come in and visit; they had to talk to him in the yard. When he did allow people in he refused to let them go past a small downstairs area. Many of his relatives and friends heard weird noises, such as pounding or banging sounds for which Castro made unlikely excuses.
There were SO MANY signs that something was not right. And here he was living RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the neighborhood where THREE GIRLS had been kidnapped. And yet no one took the time and trouble to figure him out.
I think that some of the problem was that people don't want to believe that these things happen at all, let alone that it could be happening right on the block where they live. And no one wants to believe that their neighbor, relative or friend could do something this nasty. Even when the circumstantial evidence points to something being wrong, no one wants to be the one to report it, and (as in this case) even when reported, the police do not always follow through carefully.
There are people who do things like this. They don't look like monsters; they look, and often act, like everybody else.
If you think someone is trapped in this kind of situation, please risk being wrong and report it. And be there when the police arrive and insist they check it out thoroughly. It shouldn't take years to uncover situations such as this.
It is about the kidnappings and false imprisonment of Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus by Ariel Castro who was convicted of the crime. The young women were held in his attic and basement for many years until one of them finally managed an escape and the police were called by neighbors.
What absolutely amazes me about this true story is that the evidence of what was happening was right out front and yet no one did anything. The police had been called to that house many times because neighbors reported screaming, and many other clear signs of something being wrong at that house. One neighbor even described the women in the backyard chained like dogs and being abused. In each case the police knocked on the door of Castro's house, got no answer, then gave up and left, never returning nor checking it out in any serious way.
Then there was the history of Ariel Castro himself, a man with some obvious problems regarding women and violence; he had put his first wife in the hospital numerous times and gave her blood clots on her brain which eventually led to her death. Many people knew this.
Castro had a lot of trouble on his job, including one charge of child abuse for mistreating a school kid (Castro was a school bus driver for many years) and so many misdeeds on the job he was eventually fired.
Castro was a talented musician who had a lot of trouble with other musicians and was eventually kicked out of his band.
Castro behaved in a very strange way with relatives, neighbors,and friends, especially in regard to his house. He didn't even allow his adult children to come in and visit; they had to talk to him in the yard. When he did allow people in he refused to let them go past a small downstairs area. Many of his relatives and friends heard weird noises, such as pounding or banging sounds for which Castro made unlikely excuses.
There were SO MANY signs that something was not right. And here he was living RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of the neighborhood where THREE GIRLS had been kidnapped. And yet no one took the time and trouble to figure him out.
I think that some of the problem was that people don't want to believe that these things happen at all, let alone that it could be happening right on the block where they live. And no one wants to believe that their neighbor, relative or friend could do something this nasty. Even when the circumstantial evidence points to something being wrong, no one wants to be the one to report it, and (as in this case) even when reported, the police do not always follow through carefully.
There are people who do things like this. They don't look like monsters; they look, and often act, like everybody else.
If you think someone is trapped in this kind of situation, please risk being wrong and report it. And be there when the police arrive and insist they check it out thoroughly. It shouldn't take years to uncover situations such as this.
70-79, F
