Three women missing for years found alive in Cleveland house

CLEVELAND, (Reuters) – Three women believed to have been abducted years ago were found alive on Monday at a house in Cleveland, a short distance from where at least two of them were last seen, and police said a man has been arrested in connection with their disappearance.

A neighbor in the community was alerted to their presence by screams from the house and rushed to the dwelling where he found the women, one of whom used his cell phone to call emergency-911, according to Cleveland police.

All three women have since been taken to a hospital, where they were reported to be in good medical condition, police said.

Growing crowds on the street where the women were found cheered as police cars drove into the cordoned-off area.

The three women were identified by police as Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight. Police said in a twitter posting that the three were “alive, talking, appeared to be OK.”

Local media have reported that Berry vanished in 2003 and DeJesus in 2004.