Teen escapes North Las Vegas home after being locked in room for a year, police say
An 18-year-old girl said she had been locked in her room with very little food and water for at least a year before she was able to escape and get help from a neighbor, police in North Las Vegas, Nevada, said.
The girl's mother, Addy Gonzales, and grandmother Maria Pasarin were arrested on charges of false imprisonment and child abuse. Another person, Daniel Omezcua, was also taken into custody on the same charges. His relation to the girl is unclear.
Officers were called to a home near 5th Street and Alexander Road in North Las Vegas this month after a neighbor reported seeing the teenager using a ladder to climb into an upstairs bedroom, according to Telemundo affiliate KBLR of Paradise, Nevada.
The neighbor told police that the girl had asked for food and water and said her parents were keeping her locked in a bedroom. The girl reportedly said she ate only at night when her mother returned home from work, the news station reported.
Police who searched the home said the bedroom contained "a box spring and bed frame" and a bucket that was "half full of what appeared to be urine and fecal matter," according to the station, citing an arrest report.
Authorities believe the girl had been locked in the room for at least a year.
It's not clear whether her relatives and Omezcua have attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
