In New Jersey, a couple faces accusations of abusing a teen girl over seven years by confining her within their home, where she was reportedly forced to live in a dog crate and was chained in a bathroom, prosecutors have stated.
Brenda Spencer, 38, alongside Branndon Mosley, 41, from Gloucester Township, allegedly caused harm to the now-18-year-old since 2018. The victim endured physical, mental, and sexual abuse, as reported by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.
The victim, who managed to escape the home on Thursday, revealed that her ordeal began when Spencer withdrew her from school in the sixth grade, subsequently forcing her to stay inside a dog crate for approximately a year.
The girl was later thrown into a padlocked bathroom, where she was chained up and only allowed to go out when family visited the residence to hide the abuse, prosecutors said.
When she wasn’t in the bathroom, the victim would be forced to live in a bare room, with only a bucket to use as a toilet.
The victim told police the room was fixed with an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she tried to leave.
Along with the mental torture, the victim said she was reportedly beaten and sexually abused by Mosley, a train conductor for SEPTA, until she finally escaped last week.
With the help of a neighbor, the girl was able to contact police and report her years of suffering to investigators, who found the home she was staying at to be in “squalid conditions.”
At the house, detectives also found a 13-year-old girl who had also been removed from school years earlier at Spencer’s discretion. Police also found numerous dogs, chinchillas and other animals inside the house.
Spencer and Mosley’s relationship to the girls was not clear.
The couple was arrested and charged on Sunday with kidnapping, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal restraint, as well as various weapons charges.
Mosley was additional charged with five counts of sexual assault.
Both Spencer and Mosley are currently being held at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending their court hearing.
