An 18-year-old girl managed to escape from what authorities describe as a long captivity of physical, psychological and sexual abuse in her home in Gloucester Township, New Jersey.
The young woman contacted police on May 8 with the help of a neighbor, sparking an investigation that led to the arrests of Brenda Spencer, 38, and Brandon Mosley, 41. According to prosecutors, the girl was Spencer’s biological daughter and Mosley’s stepdaughter. She had been withdrawn from school in 2018 and was reportedly locked up in a dog cage for a year after that, when she was periodically moved to a bare room, monitored by an alarm system, without a bathroom, with limited access to food and forced to use a bucket for physiological needs. “This is one of the most disturbing cases I have ever encountered,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said at a press conference May 14.
During a search of the house–described by investigators as dirty and unsafe–police found another girl, the 13-year-old sister of the victim, who had also been a school dropout for years. She too is now safely located away from Spencer and Mosley’s residence.
The pair, arrested May 11, will face several charges, including kidnapping, aggravated assault, criminal restraint and endangering the welfare of a minor. Mosley is also charged with aggravated sexual assault and sexual abuse for molesting the girl over the course of several years. At the time of the arrest, Spencer was unemployed, while Mosley worked as a train conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).
According to authorities, the two had previously been charged with animal abuse. They are currently in custody at the Camden County Correctional Facility. A court hearing is scheduled for May 16.
