
North Las Vegas, Nevada: Information concerning an investigation that began back on Friday, November 4, 2022 has just begun to find local coverage.
Police were called to a residence on a report of a teenager "trying to use a ladder to climb" back into her residence.
When officers arrived at the residence they made contact with Addy Gonzalez, the girl's mother, who reportedly refused to allow them entry initially but instead, told the police that she would check on the girl.
Officers were eventually admitted to the home and located the teenager in a bedroom of the home. Inside that room they found a box spring on a bed frame with a sheet and a bucket that had been provided in lieu of a restroom.
Police noted that the door to the room "did not have a door knob, but only a deadbolt lock which required a key for both sides to unlock, which she did not have." According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, she told officers that she felt like a prisoner.
Also residing in the home was a 13-year-old boy who is not believed to have been abused.
In speaking with police, the girl "claimed that her parents had locked her in her bedroom and did not feed her or let her use the bathroom." She allegedly reported that she was only given food when her mother, Gonzalez was home and that she had not eaten since the night before.
She told officers that she would occasionally sneak out of the window of her second floor bedroom in order to seek food and water. When she had been spotted earlier, she had been seeking water from a neighbor's spigot.
Police believe that the girl had been living in these conditions for "at least" a year.
The girl just turned 18 last month.
The Department of Child Protective Services disclosed that they had received eight previous reports of abuse concerning the family, all of which were determined to be "unsubstantiated."
"There were allegations of abuse and neglect, but upon CPS investigation there was not enough cooperation or evidence to pursue," KLAS quoted a report as saying.
Addy Gonzales, Maria Pasarin, the girl's grandmother, and Daniel Omezuca have all been charged with child abuse and false imprisonment. Following their initial arrests, before charges were officially filed, the trio were released on their own personal recognizance.
They are scheduled to appear in court on November 21, 2022.
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