A Michigan woman, Tasha Beamon, is accused of abusing and starving her medically vulnerable sister-in-law. A 48-year-old Beamon was arrested after the victim ran off and asked a neighbor to call the police.
Beamon allegedly kept the 58-year-old in the basement and gave her very little food or water. In 2024, she forced her to remain there, leaving her with only a mattress and a radio. The victim eventually forced the door open and escaped. She went to a neighbor’s home and broke a window with a metal pipe to get attention.
The neighbor, identified as Colton Ehlow, said,
“She asked me to call the police at first, which was weird. But that was the first thing she said to me: ‘Call the police.’”
He added that the woman appeared frail: “I thought she was about 78. She was this tall, skin and bones.”
#UPDATE: Police say this Saginaw woman locked her vulnerable sister-in-law in her basement for two years | https://t.co/ctYKWYgvrK pic.twitter.com/iACnzehhC9
— ABC12WJRT (@ABC12WJRT) April 6, 2026
Officers arrived at the home after receiving the call at 2 p.m. According to a WNEM report, the initial call was classified as vandalism. The woman told police she broke the window to get help.
She also told authorities she “was not fed very often and did not have access to water.”
She had been confined in the basement for two years, and her health had deteriorated significantly. First responders took her to a hospital, where doctors said she was severely malnourished and could die without treatment.
The neighbor also described the basement setup, noting it had no lock on the inside.
‘She was trapped there’: Woman kept starved sister-in-law locked in basement for years, police say https://t.co/SbIN5JLl9i
— Law & Crime (@lawcrimenews) April 7, 2026
According to investigators, Beamon kept the woman in unsanitary conditions, providing containers for her to relieve herself. She had no access to a bathroom or shower. Beamon was arrested and is being held on a $100,000 bond. She admitted to confining the victim but claimed the woman lived in an upstairs bedroom. However, that claim was inconsistent with the evidence found at the home.
Investigators believe she may have detained her sister-in-law to benefit from her disability payments. She has been charged with unlawful imprisonment and vulnerable adult abuse and is scheduled to appear in court on April 20.
