When Amanda Berry was finally rescued from abductor Ariel Castro after 10 years, her first words of freedom were “I’m Amanda Berry. I’ve been kidnapped, and I’ve been missing for 10 years. But I’m free now.” Amanda Berry along with Georgina DeJesus and Michelle Knight were rescued from Ariel Castro’s home in Cleveland, Ohio on May 6th after being held captive for ten years.
“Due to the girls being confined to a house for 10 years and rarely stepping outside, I’m sure their social skills have diminished,” junior James Knippel said.
After their rescue, the three women – and Amanda Berry’s 6-year-old daughter whose father was found to be Castro- were taken to a nearby hospital. All were found in poor condition showing signs of malnourishment and improper hygiene. After questioning, the women reunited with their families and police took Castro along with his brothers Pedro and Onil Castro into custody.
“After hearing about this kidnapping on the news, it made me realize this could happen anywhere, even in our community,” sophomore Katie Willner said. “I can’t imagine what that community in Cleveland is going through; if it happened in Pinecrest I know we would all be beyond frightened and in shock. It would take years of healing for things to get back to the way they were before the incident.”
Incredible stories like those about Elizabeth Smart and Jaycee Dugard who were both kidnapped for over a decade gave hope to the girls’ families and continue to give hope to families still searching for their missing children. Nonetheless, now these families must face the long process of healing.
“These girls missed out on a high school education, going to prom, graduating, and going to college,” sophomore Lauren Ellis said. “All because of Castro’s malicious and selfish actions, these innocent women must suffer for the rest of their lives.”
Recently, the abductee’s attorneys released a letter on behalf of their clients thanking the public for all their support and requesting for the respect of their privacy. A charity was established to aid the girls get their lives get back to normal, over 650,000 have been raised.
