A New Jersey couple has been arrested for allegedly confining and abusing a child for years, at one point housing her in a dog crate for an extended period of time, according to prosecutors.
The relationship between the girl, now 18, and Brenda Spencer, 38, and Brandon Mosley, 41, wasn't immediately clear. Prosecutors allege the girl endured sexual abuse in the years they say she was held captive.
According to prosecutors, the girl reported the abuse started around 2018. It was then that Spencer allegedly had her removed from sixth grade in her school and kept home. Prosecutors say the girl said she was forced to live in a dog crate for about a year after that, only being let out periodically.
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WATCH HEREThe couple later allegedly forced her to live in a padlocked bathroom while being chained up. At other times, the girl allegedly was kept in a bare room with a bucket to use instead of a toilet. That room had an alarm system, she said, that would notify her alleged captors if she tried to leave. She reported she was beaten with a belt in addition to the sexual abuse, allegedly at Mosley's hands.
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SIGN UP According to prosecutors, the girl escaped the home last week and got help from a neighbor. Officials didn't elaborate on the details. She later disclosed the abuse allegations and law enforcement stepped in.
Detectives searched the home and found the girl allegedly had been subject to squalid conditions, alongside dogs, chinchillas and other animals. They also learned a 13-year-old girl who also lived in the home had been removed from school years earlier, also allegedly at Spencer's discretion.
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Both girls were said to be homeschooled.
Spencer and Mosley each face charges of kidnapping, conspiracy to commit kidnapping, aggravated assault and criminal restraint, among others. Mosley is additionally charged with sex crimes.
Spencer, who is unemployed, and Mosley, who worked for SEPTA as a train conductor, were arrested at their Gloucester Township home over the weekend.
Both were remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility, pending detention hearings. Attorney information for them wasn't clear Wednesday.
