Texas ‘Prison Room’ Uncovered, Captives Freed After As Long As 10 Years

A Texas “prison room” has been uncovered, and in a developing story, four men have been freed from captivity — with three of the four unable to walk after police discovered them.

The Texas prison room was discovered after police in Houston were alerted at around 8:30 AM today about conditions in the home.

CBS in Houston reports that the men were homeless, and that little is known at this time about their identities or why they were held in the nailed-shut area — one of the men for possibly as long as a decade.

The affiliate says:

“Reports stated that several homeless men were found Friday in what authorities deemed ‘deplorable conditions’ at the Houston home after a neighbor called expressing concern about men in the house in North Houston. Some reports stated that officials called the room where the men were being held captive a ‘prison room’ while other reports indicated that authorities called it a ‘dungeon room.’ ”

The four men were said to be 54, 65, 74, and 79 respectively, and early law enforcement speculation suggests that the men were lured to the home by a person or people intending to cash their Social Security or other assistance checks.

Houston Police Department Sgt. JW McCoy seemed to indicate the men themselves (all in a “malnourished” state and unwell) were unable to readily articulate the reason behind their captivity or even how they came to be in the Texas “prison room” until this morning:

One of them seemed to think he was picked up off the street and brought here… In exchange for beer and cigarettes and a place to stay, he had to turn over his Social Security check.

The home that housed the Texas prison room was in North Houston on the 8600 block of White Castle Lane. At least three women lived at the home, and one person (gender unavailable) was taken into custody after the men were discovered.