Video: Las Vegas mom locks child for a year, daughter escapes
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Video footage hows an 18-year-old Nevada girl fleeing her home after being locked in her bedroom by family members for over a year.
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Addy Gonzales, Maria Pasarin, and Daniel Omezcua all face charges of child abuse and false imprisonment. (KLAS TV)
A frightening video shows an 18-year-old Nevada girl climbing back into her home after escaping from a bedroom she had been kept in by family members for at least a year.
The youngster, who has not been recognized, was given very little food and could only go to the bathroom in a bucket in her North Las Vegas residence, as per local authorities.
Along with Daniel Omezcua, the 18-year-old's mother, Addy Gonzales, and grandmother, Maria Pasarin, were charged with child abuse and false imprisonment.
On November 4, authorities received a tip about a teenager "trying to use a ladder" to get back into her room.
Before attempting to climb back up, she had just returned from attempting to acquire food and water from a neighbor's property. One such episode in which the battered teen sneaked out was captured on video by a neighbor who only gave her name as Maria.
"The girl got out and jumped over to our backyard seeking water," Maria said. "When we saw her, she said she had climbed down using sheets but she was heading back up."
“Overall it’s very heartbreaking because I told her to call the police and she refused, saying no one would believe her,” Maria said.
Child Protective Services received had received eight reports
When the police arrived around 3:30 p.m., they discovered the girl at the home's second-floor window.
Gonzales, the girl's mother, sought to keep authorities away by saying she would check on her child herself. According to one officer, she was locked in the room by a deadbolt that required a key to unlock.
After breaking into the girl's room, police discovered 'just a box spring and bed frame,' as well as the bucket, which was dark and 'half full with what seemed to be urine and fecal waste.'
Due to a lack of evidence and cooperation, Child Protective Services received eight reports of abusive behavior at the home but was unable to substantiate them.
Gonzales, Omezcua, and Pasarin were detained and later released because prosecutors had yet to file a criminal complaint. Omezcua's relationship with the victim, as well as her mother and grandmother, is unknown.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the girl's mother, Gonzales, has worked in the county's schools as a "family learning advocate." She is currently on "unpaid leave," according to the school system.
All three adults are scheduled to appear in court on Monday.
Video credit: KLAS-TV
