How to Catch A Criminal: The Greatest Escape

Every officer with a decent amount of time on the job knows the unexpected turns an investigation can take. Seeing a major case through to completion often involves giving up on a theory and taking your investigation in a different direction as new information becomes available. In How to Catch A Criminal, we look at the many ways not-so-perfect crimes are solved. This month, years of suffering and the victims that overcame it all to save themselves.

It is a proven fact that leaving an abusive relationship can be an extremely dangerous thing for a victim to do. This is because of the sense of control the abuser craves and refuses to give up. In addition to physical violence, victims often also endure psychological torment, like feelings of worthlessness and that their abuser is the only person they can count on. They are frequently isolated from friends and family members and forced to give up control of their finances. These common control tactics result in the victim feeling they have no options because leaving the abuser means giving up up their entire life. In contrast, violence in abusive relationships almost always escalates, meaning at some point, it becomes more dangerous to stay than to leave. There will come a time when the victim has to decide whether to leave, or remain in the ever increasing cycle of violence. While the victims in this particular case are far from abused girlfriends or wives, their predicament is somewhat similar. The biggest difference being their desire to escape their predicament from day one and the reasons they couldn't.

On Aug. 23, 2002, 21-year-old Michelle Knight was walking to a meeting in Cleveland, Ohio. The meeting could decide the fate of her young son, Joey. Knight aimed to regain custody of Joey who was taken into state custody after an being injured by Michelle's mother's boyfriend. Michelle had a difficult childhood herself and knew how important it was for a child to be in the loving, caring arms of a parent. Unfortunately, Michelle never made it to the meeting, and her absence was completely inexplicable. Eventually, Michelle was reported as missing, but police and her family figured she had run away of her own volition and would turn up when she felt like it. They assumed she was angry about the situation with Joey and decided to throw her hands up in the air and start over somewhere else. Nothing could be further from the truth.

On April 21, 2003, 16-year-old Amanda Berry called home to let her family know she was on her way home from Burger King, where she worked, and that she was getting a ride. After she didn't turn up at home that evening, her family became concerned and reported her missing. Again, the first assumption was Berry must have run away—as teenagers sometimes do. After a few days Amanda's mother received a call from Amanda's cellphone. Feelings of hope and relief were quickly extinguished when the voice on the other end of the line was not Amanda, but instead an unknown male. The male voice stated Amanda was safe and would be home soon. Sadly, “soon” was a massive overstatement.

On April 2, 2004, 14-year-old Georgina “Gina” DeJesus was abducted while walking home from school. Gina was walking home with her friend Arlene Castro and the girls had stopped at a payphone to call Arlene's mother. The pair were hoping Arlene could spend the night at Gina's and needed permission. After a no go from Arlene's mother, Gina began walking home alone. She happened to be walking through the same part of town from which Amanda Berry had been kidnapped just shy of one year prior. Similarly, Gina was offered a ride home which she accepted. Arlene was the last person to see Gina DeJesus for 9 years. Although at times, they may have been closer than they could have imagined.

Police led the search for all three girls and thoroughly investigated their disappearances. Their names remained in headlines and on posters for a decade, particularly Gina and Amanda's, given they were juveniles when they went missing, and less likely to have left town the way many thought Michelle had. Their families suffered for years as leads ran out the search for the girls ground to a halt. After so many years had passed, many believed the girls were dead and their abductions were at the hands of a murderer. The question about what happened to them was finally answered on May 6, 2013, and incredibly, that question was answered by the girls themselves.

A commotion at a residence on Cleveland's Seymour Avenue drew the attention of a few neighbors. As they approached to check on the racket, they saw now 27-year-old Amanda Berry kicking through a screen door and shouting for help. A pair of men aided her in breaking an opening in the door and she emerged holding a 6-year-old girl which turned out to be her daughter. With a neighbor's help Amanda called 911. Given the fact that a woman missing for a decade just called 911 to announce that she had had been found and knew the whereabouts of two more missing women, police arrived in force. They made entry into the home to free the other two captives and soon got the story everyone had been searching for.

The home on Seymour Avenue belonged to 53-year-old Ariel Castro, the father of Arlene Castro, Gina DeJesus' friend. His son worked at the same Burger King as Amanda Berry, and his oldest daughter was friends with Michelle Knight. Castro approached each of the women on their respective dates of abduction and offered them a ride. Given they all recognized him through friends or co-workers, all three accepted. Castro's next move was to give an excuse that would force him to stop at his house before taking his victim where they asked to go. Castro was no longer with the mother of his children and lived alone in his home. He modified his home to prevent anyone from being able to exit without the proper keys to various locked doors. Each girl was sexually and physically abused. If they became pregnant, Castro would beat and starve them in order to induce a miscarriage. The exception being Amanda Berry's daughter, who she gave birth to on Christmas of 2006. The women were often shackled and locked in a bedroom. Castro went so far as to show favoritism to one of them simply so the other two would become jealous and resentful, turning them against each other. At times, Castro would leave certain doors unlocked, in order to see if his captives would attempt to escape. The ongoing terror inside Castro's home went unnoticed for over 10 years, until he forgot to lock the front door on May 6, 2013. Castro left the house for the day, which gave Amanda Berry her best opportunity to attempt an escape. Though the storm door was bolted shut, Amanda was able to cause enough damage and commotion and before long she, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus were rescued.

Ariel Castro was very quickly located and arrested, initially charged with four counts of kidnapping, and three counts of rape, with additional charges pending. After the investigation was completed, and the grand jury verdicts returned, Ariel Castro faced an absolutely staggering 512 counts of kidnapping, 446 of rape, and a number of other crimes, totaling 977 charges. In order to avoid the death penalty, Ariel Castro plead guilty to 937 of those crimes and was sentenced to life in prison, plus an unbelievable 1,000 years. As part of his sentence, his home on Seymour Avenue would be demolished, hopefully wiping away some of the victims' suffering. One month after being behind bars, Ariel Castro apparently realized he was not as strong his victims, and could not cope with captivity. On Sept. 3, 2013, Ariel Castro was found in his prison cell, dead by suicide after hanging himself with a bed sheet.

About the Author

Brendan Rodela is a Deputy for the Lincoln County (NM) Sheriff's Office. He holds a degree in Criminal Justice and is a certified instructor with specialized training in Domestic Violence and Interactions with Persons with Mental Impairments.