Police in Cleveland are facing tough questions about why the house, where three kidnapped women were held for 10 years, was not investigated sooner. In recent years, neighbors had repeatedly reported seeing and hearing disturbing things take place at the home, but said police didn’t take the calls seriously. Despite neighbors saying that police did make several visits to the house (though, they never even attempted to go inside), the City Safety Director says that they can’t find any record of anyone calling about suspicious activity at the home. Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus and several children were all rescued from the home this week after a neighbor helped Berry escape and called 911. The owner of the home, Ariel Castro, and two of his brothers have been arrested.
Four years ago, investigators in another poor neighborhood near the area faced similar scrutiny after the bodies of 11 women were found at the home of a man who has since been convicted of their murders. At the time, police said that a foul smell coming from the home was the result of a nearby factory, and did not investigate for months. The victims’ families have accused the police of not thoroughly examining the disappearance cases because the women were poor and struggled with addiction …
