(Jamaica Gleaner) – Residents in Windsor, St Ann’s Bay are expressing outrage after a young female was discovered chained in the cellar of the house occupied by her father and stepmother.
Both the father and stepmother have since been taken into custody and will be taken to court tomorrow, in a case which the Centre for the Inves-tigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) has taken charge of.
Senior Superintendent of Police in charge of St Ann, Yvonne Martin-Daley confirmed yesterday that the two were arrested after the young female was discovered on Thursday evening in the cellar.
“When the police arrived they saw a young female in the cellar of the house, she was removed to the hospital with the assistance of the Child Development Agency,” Martin-Daley told The Gleaner.
The Senior Superinten-dent said the woman is to undergo examinations after which a true picture of her condition would be determined. It is unclear how long the woman has been living in the cellar.
It is reported that the young woman, who is suspected to be mentally and/or physically challenged, lost her mother some years ago and was left in the care of her father.
On Thursday, some children were playing near the house when they spotted the young woman chained in the cellar and alerted adults nearby.
The police were called and after discovering the young female, the stepmother was taken into custody.
The father was later located and also arrested.
Martin-Daley said charges are pending, based on the findings of CISOCA, which is investigating the case.
One resident who spoke with The Gleaner alleged that the woman was discovered naked.
According to her, the young woman was being treated like an animal, with food being thrown to her on the ground to eat.
The names of the two detainees were not released.
