Three people have been charged in relation to chaining four mentally disabled adults to a boiler in a Philadelphia basement, MSNBC is reporting. The captives were found as officers were investigating a report of squatters in a building on October 15. Three men and a woman were found in a 15-by-15-foot room whose steel door was chained shut. Two of the victims are believed to have been held for as long as 11 years.
Police Sergeant Joseph Green said the four victims were likely victims of Social Security fraud. Officer and police spokeswoman Tanya Little added that the room, which held a makeshift bed, mattress and sheets, was too small for the victims to stand up straight.
Linda Ann Weston, Thomas Gregory and Eddie Wright, the three suspects believed to have held the victims, face charges of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and related offenses. Weston is believed to have posed as the victims’ caregiver and was cashing their disability checks.
The three suspects may also face criminal charges. “We’re going to find every crime possible in the crime code to put on these individuals,” Lt. Raymond Evers has said.
The victims, including a 29-year-old woman and the three men, ages 31, 35 and 41, were taken to a hospital for treatment after being found. They are listed to be in stable condition, but little information has been released about them, including their names.
Written by: Karen Benardello
