Texas Police Discover Woman Handcuffed and Held Captive for Months

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Editor’s Note: The video referenced is from KXAN’s October 31, 2025, broadcast.

AUSTIN, Texas (KXAN) — Authorities in Texas are investigating a shocking case in which a woman was discovered handcuffed to exercise equipment outside a residence, where she claims to have been held captive for several months.

The woman reported to police that she had endured multiple BB gun shots during her captivity, according to details from an arrest warrant affidavit reviewed by KXAN.

On October 30, the Austin Police Department was dispatched for an urgent welfare check following a 911 call. The caller reported hearing a woman “screaming for help” and found her “handcuffed to a workout machine positioned at the entrance of a fence,” as detailed in the affidavit.

During the investigation, the woman recounted to officers that she had been restrained both inside and outside the property over several months. She alleged abuse involving a BB gun by both a man and a woman. She explained that she was previously friends with one of the women residing in the house, visiting occasionally, until an abrupt change in their relationship led to her confinement.

Several people were seen coming out of the home when police were helping the woman. They were all detained and later arrested by police. A news release from APD last week identified the following people arrested as the following:

Michelle Garcia, 51
Crystal Garcia, 21
Mache Carney, 32
Juan Pablo Castro, 30
Maynard Lefevers, 21

All five people were charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to the elderly or disabled and unlawful restraint, according to police.

Additionally, three children were found inside the home and were placed in the care of Child Protective Services, police said last week.

The woman was transported to the hospital, where she had “hundreds of round BB-sized scars” all throughout her body, according to the affidavit. It was not immediately clear if the woman remained at the hospital as of Monday.

When Castro was interviewed by investigators, he said he admitted to shooting the woman with the BB gun “when she did not want to go into handcuffs.” Court records also state the woman was allegedly only handcuffed at night outside the home.

The case remained under investigation Monday by police.