Toledo, Ohio, Teen Escapes Basement After Being Held Captive For More Than One Year
A Toledo, Ohio, teen escaped from her step-father’s basement, where she was held captive for more than one year. Authorities were alerted to the situation when the 13-year-old girl, who was not named, managed to open her shackles and flee the Noble Street home. Authorities said evidence found inside the North Toledo house confirms the teen was kept in restraints for an extended period of time.
According to a police affidavit, provided by Toledo Municipal Court, the 13-year-old victim was “shackled by the ankle to a support beam in the basement for different periods of time, once lasting as long as a year.”
In an interview with police, the teen said she was forced to sleep on the concrete floor. However, she was provided with a plastic bucket to use as a chair. She was also provided with a second bucket filled with ammonia, which served as a rudimentary toilet.
As reported by 13ABC Action News, the Toledo, Ohio, teen managed to find a key to her shackles earlier this week. When she had an opportunity to unlock the restraints unobserved, she fled from the home and ran nearly two miles to a commercial building on Water Street.
Authorities said the teen approached a Port Authority employee, who initially tried to contact her step-father. According to reports, the man hung up when the Port Authority employee mentioned his step-daughter. The employee then contacted the Toledo Police Department.
According to the police affidavit, authorities searched the step-father’s home and found “evidence corroborating the victim’s story.”
The step-father, who was identified as 53-year-old Timothy D. Ciboro, was subsequently arrested and charged with numerous felony counts, including endangering children and kidnapping to terrorize or to inflict serious physical harm.
Timothy’s 27-year-old son, Esten J. Ciboro, was also arrested and charged with endangering children and kidnapping to terrorize or inflict serious physical harm.
According to court records, the father and son appeared in court on Thursday morning. As they were both determined to be indigent, Timothy and Esten were assigned public defenders. The preliminary hearings for both men are scheduled for May 26.
Timothy and Esten are current being held at the Lucas County Jail on $350,000 bond, with no percent allowed. The father and son are also prohibited from contacting the victim or any members of her family.
Authorities said it is unclear why the Toledo, Ohio, teen was left with her step-father. However, they confirmed, “the victim’s mother left some time ago and they haven’t seen her since.”
Toledo, Ohio, court records indicate Timothy Ciboro has an extensive criminal history spanning nearly 30 years. His lengthy record includes numerous counts of assault, drug abuse, menacing, passing bad checks, theft, and trespassing.
In addition to his step-son and the victim, authorities said two other children were living in Timothy’s home. However, their ages are unknown. It is also unknown whether the other children were subjected to abuse.
The Toledo, Ohio, teen’s escape brings to mind a similarly disturbing case in Cleveland, Ohio.
On May 6, 2013, Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight escaped from the Cleveland home of Ariel Castro. Authorities later determined the women were held captive in the Seymour Avenue home for more than 10 years.
Two months after his arrest, Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including aggravated murder, kidnapping, and rape. He was subsequently sentenced to “life in prison plus 1,000 years.”
For eleven years, Ariel Castro kept three teen girls captive where he abused and raped them from 2002-2013 in Ohio. pic.twitter.com/gLnh6G7z8i
— Seriously Strange (@SeriousStrange) February 28, 2015
On September 3, 2013, Ariel Castro was found dead in his cell at the Pickaway Correctional Institution. His cause of death was determined to be suicide by hanging.
For eleven years, Ariel Castro kept three teen girls captive where he abused and raped them from 2002-2013 in Ohio. pic.twitter.com/gLnh6G7z8i
— Seriously Strange (@SeriousStrange) February 28, 2015
The extent of the abuse inflicted on the Toledo, Ohio, teen is unknown. However, the charges indicate that she was subjected to “serious physical harm” at the hands of her step-father and her step-brother.
[Image via Kamira/Shutterstock]
