An 18-year-old New Jersey woman escaped from a home last week where she had allegedly been held captive and subjected to severe abuse for seven years.
The alleged perpetrators, the teenager’s mother Brenda Spencer, 38, and her boyfriend Branndon Mosley, 41, have been arrested and face multiple charges, including kidnapping, aggravated assault, and sexual abuse.
They are being held without bond at the Camden County Correctional Facility.
According to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office, the abuse began in 2018 when the victim was withdrawn from school in the sixth grade to be homeschooled.
She reported being confined to a dog crate for about a year and was only let out periodically. The woman also said she was later forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while being chained up and was only let out when family would come and visit.
At other times, she was kept in a bare room equipped only with a bucket for a toilet and monitored by an alarm system designed to alert the couple if she attempted to escape.
The victim also reported being beaten with a belt and sexually abused by Mosley, who was employed as a train conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
SEPTA has since placed Mosley on administrative leave pending further investigation.
The woman managed to flee the alleged house of horrors on May 8, seeking help from a neighbor.
The neighbor, identified only as Susan, described the victim as hysterical and recounted the woman’s claims of being confined in a dog crate and having her head shaved as punishment. Susan and her son assisted the victim in reaching a hospital, where she received treatment for two days.
Upon investigating the residence, authorities discovered squalid living conditions, numerous dogs , chinchillas, and other animals. They also found another 13-year-old girl who had also been removed from school years earlier.
Spencer and Mosley are currently awaiting detention hearings in Superior Court.
