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Man Charged with Rape and Kidnapping in Ohio Missing Women Case

Ariel Castro
Ariel Castro

(AP) — A Cleveland man faces a string of charges for allegedly kidnapping two teens and a young woman and holding them for nearly a decade at his home. They were rescued Monday after one of them broke a screen door and screamed for help.

Ariel Castro was charged today with four counts of kidnapping — covering all three captives and the daughter born to one of them while she was held. He was also charged with three counts of rape against the three women. Prosecutors brought no charges against Castro’s two brothers, saying there was no evidence they had any part in the crime.

Police say the women were apparently bound with ropes and chains. City Councilman Brian Cummins, who was briefed on the case, says that they were subjected to prolonged sexual and psychological abuse and suffered miscarriages. The victims were kept in the basement of the dilapidated house.

Two of the young women, meanwhile, have been welcomed home by jubilant crowds of loved ones and neighbors. The third captive is reported in good condition at a hospital.

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