Ariel Castro (2207 Seymour Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio), 52, former bus driver for Cleveland City Schools, Cleveland, Ohio, arrested for kidnapping and rape of three women (two were under 18 at the time of their abductions) and possible murders of unborn fetuses when they were impregnated In addition to the three (Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight) who are the subject of the current coverage, Fox 8 says there might have been a fourth victim, apparently deceased: A source further noted that Knight told police that there was another woman in the home when she got there, but one day she woke up and the woman was gone. There is writing on the wall in the basement which includes the name of a female and says, “Rest In Peace,” but police do not know if that is related to the case at this time. So much material is coming out on this story that I'm not going to be able to keep up with it. This particular article is "Story Central" for the Cleveland Plain Dealer: Plain Dealer: Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight megablog: Ongoing updates (May 7 2013)WKYC has put together a Photo Gallery of these events: WKYC: Photos: Missing Cleveland women found alive [PHOTO GALLERY] (May 7 2013) UK Daily Mail: Pictured: The three brothers 'who kidnapped three girls and kept them captive for 10 years' as it emerges the victims 'gave birth to at least FIVE babies in the home' (May 7 2013) Missing women Amanda Berry, 26, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michele Knight, 32, were found on Monday after Amanda escaped and called 911 Girl, 6, also found alive after Amanda gave birth to her inside the home Police sources claim one of the women had as many as three miscarriages because she was so malnourished Police arrest 52-year-old 'captor' who owned house and his two brothers The women - then girls - were kidnapped separately on the same street more than nine years ago and taken just three miles away Authorities visited the home in 2004 but left after no one answered the door WKYC: Photos: Missing Cleveland women found alive [PHOTO GALLERY] (May 7 2013) Tags:
Also arrested were his brothers: Pedro Castro & Onil Castro I do not yet know if they have any connections to local schools. Edited to add: Apparently not, according to the Plain Dealer these two "had long since quit working". Profiles of the brothers based on the Plain Dealer: Pedro Castro, 54, (unmarried) was a straight-A student at old Lincoln High School. Roman said he would not have graduated from Lincoln High in 1976 without Pedro's help. But Pedro dropped out of school in his junior year when he became involved with alcohol. Roman said Pedro had worked a punch press machine in a factory, but he stopped working because he drank so heavily. He was getting Social Security benefits in recent years. Onil Castro, 50, (unmarried) was much quieter than his brother Pedro. He also drank heavily. Roman said he has been receiving worker's compensation the past five years. He had made his living doing odd jobs; he was very versatile and a handyman until he got hurt working as a laborer. Ariel Castro [52] fought with his former wife, Grimilda Figueroa, over the custody of their children. Figueroa twice suffered a broken nose, as well as broken ribs, a knocked-out tooth, a blood clot on the brain and two dislocated shoulders, according to a 2005 filing in Cuyahoga County Domestic Relations Court. In the filing, her attorney requested that a judge "keep (Castro) from threatening to kill (Figueroa)." Attorney Robert Ferreri said Figueroa "has full custody with no visitation for (Castro). Nevertheless, (Castro) frequently abducts daughters and keeps them from their mother." Figueroa died last year. Ferreri could not be reached. Any record of charges being filed could not be located. This really begs the question: What kind of background checks does the Cleveland School System do on its bus drivers? I would not want my kids entrusted to the care & authority of someone whose wife "twice suffered a broken nose, as well as broken ribs, a knocked-out tooth, a blood clot on the brain and two dislocated shoulders" at his hand.
UK Daily Mail: 'She died of broken heart': Mother who relentlessly searched for kidnapping victim Amanda Berry passed away before learning daughter was alive (May 7 2013) Louwana Miller spent three years searching for her daughter before she succumbed to pancreatitis and other ailments in 2006 Amanda Berry was kidnapped aged 16 on her way home from work Found last night in Cleveland house with two other kidnapping victims Photo shows the first time Amanda saw her sister in 10 years
UK Daily Mail: 'I knew something was wrong when a pretty little white girl ran into a black man's arms': Hero neighbor who freed kidnapped Ohio women becomes instant internet celebrity (May 7 2013) Charles Ramsey freed Amanda Berry when he heard her crying for help He kicked down a door to help her leave a house she was held in since 2003 'She said, "Help me get out. I've been here a long time",' Mr Ramsey said Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight and children also found inside dungeon Mr Ramsey said he spent time with Ariel Castro, who was arrested yesterday 'I barbeque with this dude, we eat ribs and listen to salsa music,' he said
UK Daily Mail: 'I'm here, I'm free now': Listen to the dramatic 911 call Amanda Berry made moments after she was freed (May 7 2013) Cleveland Police release recording of Miss Berry after she escaped dungeon 'I've been missing for 10 years, and I'm, I'm here, I'm free now', she screams Her call led to liberation of fellow hostages Gina DeJesus and Michell Knight Ariel Castro, 52, and his two brothers have been arrested over kidnapping
UK Daily Mail: 'Miracles really do happen': Bizarre final Facebook post of Ariel Castro before he was arrested for kidnap along with two brothers (May 7 2013) Ariel Castro, 52, a former school bus driver, has been named as the prime suspect in abduction of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight Two of Castro's brothers also arrested in the case Castro's son wrote a piece on Miss DeJesus' disappearance back in 2004 Their uncle, Julio Castro, says he never wants to see his nephews again
WKYC: Missing women raped, beaten while pregnant (May 7 2013) The women found safe last night on Seymour Avenue were forced to have sex with their captors, resulting in up to five pregnancies, several police sources tell Channel 3 News. One of those sources tells the Investigator Tom Meyer that the captors would beat the pregnant girls. Both sources say the babies didn't survive ... The sources say it is unclear what happened following the pregnancies.
WKYC: Past 10 years looking for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus [VIDEO] (May 7 2013) Looking for Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus the past 10 years
WKYC: Charles Ramsey tells how he rescued missing women [VIDEO] (May 7 2013) Charles Ramsey tells WKYC how he helped rescue Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight ending the women's kidnapping ordeal.
WKYC: Missing woman 911: I'm Amanda Berry [VIDEO] (May 7 2013) Police release 911 call made by Amanda Berry.
WKYC: Amanda Berry's cousins react to her being found alive [VIDEO] (May 7 2013) Interview with cousins of Amanda Berry who react to news she has been found alive after going missing for a decade.
WKYC: Photos: Missing Cleveland women found alive [PHOTO GALLERY] (May 7 2013) Photos that tell the remarkable story of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michele Knight who were found alive May 6, 2013 after all had been missing for years.
Plain Dealer: Focus of women's disappearance shifts attention to Castro brothers (May 7 2013) The brothers accused of holding three women captive for as long as a decade grew up around their father's car lot off West 25th Street surrounded by a large family. They were smart, funny and loved classic cars. Two, however, appeared to drink heavily, while the other battered his former wife and threatened to kill her and their children, according to friends, family and court records. Two brothers had long since stopped working, while the other was fired in November after 22 years as a Cleveland schools bus driver. "They used to be beautiful people," said Julio "Cesi" Castro, the men's uncle.
Cleveland Leader: Ariel Castro Arrested as Suspect in Abduction and Disappearance of Three Cleveland Women (May 7 2013) ... found Monday alive at a home belonging to a 52-year-old man by the name of Ariel Castro located at 2207 Seymour Ave. in Cleveland. Ariel Castro has been living at that address since 1992, and has a prior arrest for domestic violence in 1993. Castro was a Cleveland City Schools bus driver, but was let go in November 2012 after doing an illegal U-turn with children on the bus. Slightly different account of his termination from the Plain Dealer: In November, Ariel Castro was fired from his job as a Cleveland school bus driver for leaving his bus unattended for four hours last September while he went home. Before being fired Nov. 6, Castro had been suspended for 60 days twice -- for leaving the child on the bus and making an illegal U-turn in rush hour traffic with a bus load of students in 2009. He also was suspended in February 2012 for using his bus to do grocery shopping. He had to sign an agreement saying any more problems would result in his termination.
Plain Dealer: Castro family among first Hispanics to settle in Cleveland, coming from Puerto Rico just after World War II (May 7 2013) The family of Ariel, Onil and PedroCastro was among the first Hispanic families to settle in Cleveland, emigrating from Puerto Rico just after World War II. They came from Yauco, a small coffee-producing mountain town where jobs were scarce. In Cleveland, then the sixth largest city in the United States, they found work in steel mills and automobile plants. But some members of the Castro family caught the American entrepreneurial spirit, investing in rental properties and opening small businesses on the lower West Side, some of which are still operating today ... "The Castro clan is a big clan, so you'll always have a couple of rotten apples." Reportedly some members of the family were involved in the numbers rackets ~ 40 years ago, although none were ever charged or prosecuted.
More coverage in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, click here for their latest updates: Berry, DeJesus, Knight found alive, police source confirms (May 6 2013) Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, Michelle Knight released from the hospital (May 7 2013) Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus: When they disappeared, what happened in the years before they were found (May 7 2013) Charles Ramsey breaks stereotypes by helping Amanda Berry escape but will the Internet notice?: Mark Naymik (video) (May 7 2013) Counseling, recovery ahead for long-term kidnapped victims (May 7 2013) Anger over missing young women understandable, but not necessarily helpful, experts say (May 7 2013) For missing-women story, national news outlets quickly shift focus to Cleveland (May 7 2013) Physical problems of people once held in captivity, such as Amanda Berry, can be quickly addressed, doctors say (May 7 2013) Michelle Knight's 'normal teenage life,' plagued by troubles in years before disappearance (May 7 2013) FBI agent says Berry, DeJesus, Knight were all smiles Monday night (May 7 2013)
BBC: Cleveland neighbour: 'A naked lady in the backyard' (May 7 2013) Cleveland resident Elsie Cintron has spoken to the BBC about what she saw at the house where alleged captor Ariel Castro lived ... Elsie Cintron said she had suspicions after her granddaughter said she had seen a "naked lady crawling in the backyard of his house".
BBC: What Cleveland abduction suspects' neighbours saw (May 7 2013) Neighbourhood residents spoke to the BBC about what they saw at the house where Ariel Castro is accused of holding the three women prisoner.