Dungeon Leader Forced Siblings Into Incest, Prostituton, Brother Claims

Oct. 20, 2011— -- Alleged basement dungeon ring-leader Linda Weston terrorized her younger brothers and sisters, forcing them into incest and prostitution, her family said today.

Linda Weston's siblings were still so frightened of her that they spoke only on the condition that their names not be revealed.

"She would force my younger brothers and sisters to have sex. She would have sex with my other brothers and sisters," a brother told ABC News affiliate WPVI. "She said, 'Look, make them have babies, we can get more money.' It could be a brother or sister in her care."

Weston, 51, is charged with being the ring-leader in a kidnapping and illegal imprisonment case for locking four mentally handicapped adults in a basement with no food or bathrooms, beating and torturing a niece of hers whom she kept locked in the closet, and stealing the identities of more than 50 people.

Family members told WPVI that it was the first time they had all been together in over 20 years after breaking free from the control of their sister.

"By calling her evil is speaking nice of her," the brother said.

The family says they did not go to police because they were in fear of their sister.

"We were beyond terrified. We knew what she was capable of doing, so we never challenged any of it," a brother said.

Also charged with the basement dungeon crimes are Weston's daughter Jean McIntire, 39, Weston's boyfriend, Thomas Gregory, 47, and Eddie Wright, 49.

Philadelphia police said they are working to identify other possible victims of Weston's schemes.

They are also investigating whether Weston forced the mentally handicapped victims in the basement to have sex with one another, which produced two children, ages 2 and 5. Police said the 2-year-old was so malnourished it had the appearance of a 6-month-old.

Police are also sharing information with other cities where Weston may have committed crimes, including in Norfolk, Va., where Weston's roommate died in 2008. The death of Maxine Lee, then 39, was ruled to be not suspicious and the cause of death was reported as meningitis aggravated by malnutrition. Norfolk police have said they are reviewing the case to make sure they did not miss any suspicious information, but have not reopened the case as of yet.

On Tuesday, police found another family member of Weston's who showed signs of torture and beatings. Beatrice Weston, 19, the niece of Linda Weston, was taken at the age of 8 and tortured for 10 years, according to police.

The girl was found locked in a closet on the third floor of the building that contained the basement dungeon, away from the other victims and children. She was pulled from the closet with her head wrapped in clothing, covering open wounds and scars. On the rest of her body, scars covered her face, a burn mark from a heated spoon was imprinted onto her skin, fractured bones had healed over incorrectly, and her ankles showed signs of repeated shooting from pellet guns, police said.

Beatrice Weston is now in a Philadelphia hospital, according to Philadelphia police spokesman Lt. Ray Evers. Linda Weston is the girl's aunt, and police said she took her niece after a family feud with her sister, Vicki Weston.

"This girl was beaten, tortured, absolutely the worst thing you can see one person do to another," said Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey.

Evers said Wednesday after finding the girl that he would be happy to see the four prosecuted wherever the punishments would be the harshest.

"We're going to prepare to prosecute this here or, without hyperbole, wherever the prisons are going to be the worst. Federal prisons might be too nice," he said. "I've never seen anything like this before on a living person, that kind of cruelty over and over again. No penalty is too harsh to the people that did this, absolutely no penalty," Evers said.

Police are working to identify the remaining children in the home, whom Weston claimed were her own. All of the suspects are being held on $2.5 million bail in Philadelphia.