Ariel Castro, former bus driver who held Cleveland women captive, may have written 2004 news story about them
Posted: May 6, 2013 Filed under: Breaking News, Crime, just because | Tags: Amanda Berry, Ariel Castro, Cleveland abductions, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight 62 Comments
House where three women and numerous children were found
UPDATE: Correction–The article mentioned in title was written by the son of suspect Ariel Castro. The son wrote it for a journalism course he was taking at Bowling Green University in 2004. Until tonight, he had no idea his father was the one who had abducted and imprisoned three young women.
What an unbelievable story. As I posted on the previous thread, three women who were abducted 9, 10, and 11 years ago have been found today in a house not very far from where they disappeared.
Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight were found alive, the Cleveland Division of Police said Monday. All three of the women are talking and “appear to be OK,” according to a statement from Cleveland police on Twitter.
Police said that a 52-year-old Hispanic male has been placed under arrest regarding this incident.
The man’s name has now been revealed to be Ariel Castro. And in a bizarre twist, someone by that name wrote a news story about the disappearances in 2004. The article was discovered by AOL senior news editor Jon Passantino and posted on his Twitter feed.
You can follow updates on this story at The Cleveland Plain Dealer as well as listen to “Amanda Berry’s frantic 911 call to police.”
“I’m here. I’m free now,” a frantic Amanda Berry told a 9-1-1 telephone operator moments after she escaped 10 years of captivity on Cleveland’s West Side.
The Cleveland law Department released recordings this evening of calls to 9-1-1 about the discovery of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight, all of whom disappeared a decade or more ago.
Hundreds of people gathered in the streets near 2207 Seymour Avenue in Cleveland, where the women were discovered. Cleveland police said Berry, DeJesus and Michelle Knight are alive, talking and appear to be OK.
“I heard screaming… And I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside,” said Charles, a neighbor who found the women. “I go on the porch and she said ‘Help me get out. I’ve been here a long time.’ I figure it was domestic violence dispute.”
“She comes out with a little girl and says ‘Call 911, my name is Amanda Berry’… When she told me, it didn’t register.” He said he made the call and gave Berry the phone. When police arrived, officers asked him if he knew who he rescued.
A witness who spoke Spanish told NewsChannel5’s Stephanie Ramirez that he helped break down the door. He said there was a child who was about 4 or 5 years old with Berry, as well as other children inside the house. He said he recognized Berry from posters.
Angie Garcia, whose aunt lives across the street from where the women were found, said Berry ran over to the house Monday and begged to use the phone. Berry, who was wearing a wig, told the aunt who she was and then asked to use the phone to call 911.
The women and two young children came out of the house across the street, Garcia said.
“We never saw the girls there and we were always outside,” she said. “We only saw the guy.”
Longer story from Cleveland Plain Dealer with photo gallery
Berry, now 27, DeJesus, 23, and Knight, 32, were taken to MetroHealth Medical Center. The FBI and police will interview the women when they are discharged….
Police arrested the owner of the house, Ariel Castro, 52, who had lived in the house since 1992. Records show he was arrested for domestic violence in 1993, but a grand jury declined to indict him….
Berry disappeared at about 7:40 p.m. April 21, 2003, a day before her 17th birthday. She was last seen leaving her job at a Burger King at West 110th Street and Lorain Avenue.
DeJesus, then 14, vanished April 2, 2004, while walking home from school in the same area. Since then, the two have been the subject of numerous vigils.
Knight, who was 21 at the time of her disappearance, was last seen at a cousin’s house near W. 106 Street and Lorain Avenue on Aug. 23, 2002.
I’ll add further updates in the comment thread.
The man of the hour, Charles Ramsey, who went to the rescue after hearing Amanda’s calls for help
Amanda Berry with her sister and child who was rescued with her.
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
Damn this is something, horrifying, but at least this ordeal is over for them….BB did you see this bit of news: Air Force sex-assault chief arrested on sexual battery charges – latimes.com
I’ve been busy all day with problems I will just refer to as “Cheergate” ugh…I haven’t even gotten online all day and these are the first two stories I see! Wow…
I find this hard to believe that 3 girls can be held captive in that house for 10 years and no one suspected anything. Moreover if the girls wanted to escape they could have very well plotted a plant and found a way to escape – it was three against one person. Something is not right here.
Blaming the victims is a very bad habit. Stop and think before you do it again.
You’re right that something is not right. Three girls were taken prisoner. Neighbors did call police w/suspicions and police didn’t do anything. There were also at least three men involved.
Instead of judging the victims, why don’t you wait and see what comes out?
Despite what we see in the movies, it’s pretty hard to escape when you’re chained up or locked up in a basement and have no access to food, water, clothing, or bathroom facilities, except on the whim of your jailor. Doesn’t sound like he left tools and cell phones lying about.
Brave girls, they finally got a way out………run for your lives girls, run.
What an amazing story!
I can’t imagine how this guy kept them captive. The man who found them said everyone thought he lived alone.
Whenever I see something like this, it makes me think just how many captured people there are out there…imprisoned like these women. It gives me the creeps.
I know. It’s horrible. But at the same time, it’s wonderful they were found alive.
Yeah, you are right about that…
Two or three more people have been arrested now.
It reminds me of the Polly Klaas, and Jaycee Lee Dugard cases.
Yup, me too Fannie.
Another link to the article Ariel Castro wrote, shows more content.
The bastard actually interviewed family members.
He is more than a Bastard ….. Scum, a Rat … Unfortunately, Hispanic and if Puerto Rican made me felt ashamed of my race
Castro’s uncle runs a grocery store in the neighborhood
The women were apparently locked in a “basement dungeon.”
oh, that is just horrific
Caesar Castro said that members of his and DeJesus’s family “grew up together.”
Did Ariel Castro grow up in Cleveland? I think I went to school with him.
I think he did. I haven’t heard otherwise.
Wonder if he went to Scranton Elementary School?
I’m not familiar with Cleveland at all. His history will probably come out over the next few days.
Geez bb, you are on fire. Between the previous post and this one, my head is spinning! Unbelievable stuff! I’m overwhelmed by this kidnapping post.
We have more than 5,000 hits on this post.
Past 10,000 blog views for today…wow.
The two other men arrested are Ariel Castro’s brothers, according to CNN
Search of house in progress.
Woman who lives across the street says that Castro’s mother used to come by to visit! She only saw one other man who rode a bicycle.
Thank you, Charles Ramsey!!!
You can say that again!
Tru Dat!
May Mr. Ramsey have good fortune every day for the rest of his life. Talk about doing a good deed!
Yes! May Mr. Ramsey have good fortune and his whole family too the rest of their lives. The world needs more good people like him.
Michelle Knight, missing for decade but mother says she searched alone
Heartbreaking…
Barbara Knight said she hopes that police have correctly identified her daughter, adding that she would be heartbroken to return to Cleveland only to find that Michelle was still among the missing.
On CNN Erin Burnett actually asked best friend of Amanda Berry whether she thought Amanda went with Ariel Castro “by choice.”
She’s an unbelievable fool!
That would make sense if he was someone she knew.
Except she didn’t know him. And none of them probably enjoyed being chained up in a “dungeon.”
More ‘Rape Culture’, embedded in our media. I am glad Amanda Berry’s childhood friend told her NO! Even I wouldn’t go off with a strange 52 year-old stranger, much less teenagers of fourteen, sixteen and eighteen who had full lives and people that were expecting them.
The odd thing is that this man was in a ‘trusted’ position as the school bus driver and it served him as a cover to continue his horrors. Erin Burnett should know better.
Oh, my this could get worse. Anyone spoken to his ex-wife, whom a jury wouldn’t believe, after he battered her?
Dr. speaks:
This is gonna get worse before it gets better, but leave off the speculation.
Been confirmed that this is NOT the suspect that wrote the article.
It is his son, who is a journalism student, and is totally shocked.
Yes, I updated the post awhile ago. Thanks though.
There isn’t any speculation in my post, just news reports. Obviously there is always misinformation in a case like this.
Post updated to report that the person who wrote the 2004 news article about Gina DeJesus was the son of the suspect. He wrote it for a journalism course he was taking at the time. Until today, he had no idea his father had done these horrible crimes.
BB, there is a 911 call here, do you have a link to it? ‘I’ve been kidnapped!’ — cops find 3 women missing for years – CNN.com
It’s linked in my post. Here it is again.
http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ssf/2013/05/listen_to_amanda_berrys_franti.html
Just saw on twitter that neighbors told Cleveland reporter that
Castro’s sister sometimes brought her children to the house to play.CORRECTION: It was Castro’s daughter and her children who often came to his house.
Castro’s daughter was sentenced to 25 years in 2008 for slashing the throat of her 11 month old daughter. Here is the link to the article
http://www.journalgazette.net/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080216/LOCAL03/802160327/1002/LOCAL
OMG! How awful! Thanks for the link.
Obviously, this is just speculation, but it’s possible her father sexually abused her. That could explain her “mental illness” and violent acting out.
Why do you think they’re not talking about Michelle Knight?
I guess because no one knows that much about her yet. She was an “adult” when she went missing, and authorities assumed she left voluntarily. I’ve heard different ages for when she disappeared–18, 20, 21.
I cant even imagine what those women went through
It is unimaginable.
These three men deserve the DEATH PENALTY!
Business Insider: Everything we know about Ariel Castro