Cops Raid Illinois Home Where Teen Was Held Captive for Three Years
Cops raid home where teen was held captive for three years
Aug. 24, 2012— -- In a dramatic nighttime raid, police stormed the Illinois home of a man accused of holding a teenager captive for three years, raping her, and impregnating her, law enforcement officials said.
Washington Park police, assisted by SWAT teams from neighboring counties stormed the home Thursday evening, arresting a 25-year-old man and his mother, officials from two counties confirmed.
Cops also removed from the home two children and placed them in the custody of the state Department of Children and Family Services, said St. Clair County State's Attorney Brendan Kelly.
One of the children is reportedly the 2-year-old son of the victim and the suspect. The age of the other child has not been released.
The man and his mother are in police custody but have not yet been charged pending a review by prosecutors, Kelly said.
"There was an enormous amount of evidence discovered at the scene. All of the evidence and material is being examined and will be presented to the state attorney in the next 24 hours for us to review," Kelly said.
Neither the names of the suspects, nor the victim have been released.
Police learned of the abduction on Monday when the young woman escaped from the Washington Park house, outside East St. Louis, and alerted the authorities, according to the AP.
The woman, now 19, was reported missing three years ago. Police spent the days in between corroborating her story before conducting the raid, according to reports.
Authorities confirmed that police were pursuing a sexual assault case against the suspect.
The suspect and victim knew each other socially, meeting at a party around the time she first went missing, Washington Park Police Chief David Clark told the AP.
"When she (soon) decided to go back to her parents, he wouldn't allow it," Clark said.
Clark said the man's mother helped keep the young woman captive and falsified medical documents when she delivered their baby.
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