Teen gets help after being locked in room for a year; mother, grandmother arrested

NORTH LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KVVU/Gray News) - A teenager was reportedly locked in a room for at least a year before escaping to get help.

According to the North Las Vegas Police Department, Addy Gonzales, Maria Pasarin and Daniel Omezcua have been arrested and are facing charges that include false imprisonment and child abuse.

According to KVVU, an arrest report identified Gonzales as the teen’s mother and Pasarin being the teen’s grandmother with it unclear of Omezcua’s relationship.

North Las Vegas police said they first investigated the incident on Nov. 4. They were called to a neighborhood for suspicious activity where officers found a Hispanic female trying to use a ladder to climb into an upstairs bedroom.

According to neighbors, the girl had entered a backyard of a nearby residence asking for food and water. The girl had reportedly climbed out of a two-story home before using the ladder again to get some clothes together.

The girl reportedly told police she escaped so she could get a drink of water as she hadn’t eaten since the night before. Police said the teen told them she was only given food or water when her mother would return home.

“The female juvenile claimed her parents had locked her in her bedroom and did not feed her or let her use the bathroom,” NLVPD wrote in the report.

Authorities said they spoke with Gonzales on the phone and asked why the girl was locked in the room. They said Gonzales was evasive and didn’t want police in her home until she got back.

When NLVPD did enter the room where the girl was kept, there was no bed, just a box spring and a bed frame with a sheet, according to the arrest report. The department said there was a bucket in the room filled with urine and feces and a roll of toilet paper.

The girl told police she felt like a prisoner, according to the report. Police said the girl appeared to have been living in such conditions for at least a year.

Child Protection Services reported that there were eight previously unsubstantiated reports, which included allegations of abuse or neglect.

Authorities said there was also a 13-year-old boy living in the home.

The suspects in the case are scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 21.

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