Tuesday 18 October 2011

Gregory Thomas - Disabled Adults Found Captive In Philadelphia Basement Reuters

PHILADELPHIA Sun Oct 16, 2011 1:47pm EDT

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - Three individuals were billed on Sunday with having several in your mind handicapped grown ups captive within a filthy Philadelphia basement, plus two regarding your persons could have been recently placed intended for provided that 11 years, government bodies said.

The several men and something woman have been probable sufferers involving Social Security fraud, Philadelphia Police Sergeant Joseph Green said.

"They ended up mistreated in physical form along with emotionally," they said. "This is simply a horror story."

Arrested in the event was Linda Westen, 50, your convicted murderer, which presumably placed them captive when posing since their particular caregiver as well as cashing their disability checks, criminal arrest said.

Westen as well as not one but two alleged accomplices, a displaced man known as Eddie Wright, 51, plus Philadelphia resident Gregory Thomas , 48, were recharged having kidnapping, aggravated assault, bogus imprisonment and various charges.

The three folks were being found limited from a small, filthy attic boiler room that comprised a mattress by using many home bedding plus a chiseled mother board with a pillow.

"There have been one or two waters bottles but not any food or anything," Green said. "There was a pail these people used to urinate in."

Two from the captives were held regarding 11 a long time plus known as Westen because "Mom," court arrest said.

At smallest two belonging to the persons sailed with Westen seeing that she moved out of town for you to city, they said. She have visited in order to Texas and Florida, he said.

The some other two were with Westen considering that February, as well as they all got here within Philadelphia earlier the following month, he or she said.

Green reported Westen sometimes have some others within captivity nonetheless isn't cooperating using the investigation, that's treated by way of local legislation enforcement, the particular FBI and also the federal Social Security Administration.

After they were discovered, the subjects ended up taken intended for "much essential health attention" from region hospitals, he said.

They were being relocated on Sunday to a city-run housing wherever we were holding receiving guidance as well as care, Green said, adding this "four complainants are generally accomplishing well."

(Reporting by Dave Warner, extra reporting by simply Eric Johnson in Chicago; Editing simply by Ellen Wulfhorst )

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