What the neighbors saw was terrifying and dehumanizing: Naked women on dog leashes, crawling in the dirt. A lady clutching an infant and pounding on a window for help.
Yet neighbors said the gut-wrenching reports couldn’t persuade the Cleveland cops to go inside the rundown house — where three women kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 were held hostage by the vile homeowner, officials said.
Police banged on the door of the two-story home three times between 2004 and 2011, but never followed up or uncovered the continuing nightmare on Seymour Ave., according to neighbors and authorities.
The hostages were probably inside each time the cops arrived, authorities said.
“They didn’t take it seriously,†said Elsie Cintron, who lived three doors down from the ramshackle residence where the three victims finally broke free Monday evening.
The good news of the women’s unlikely flight to freedom was undercut by questions about how authorities failed to find three missing women living under their noses — especially after repeated calls from neighbors.
Cleveland police insisted Tuesday night that “only two calls for service from police are shown at that address.â€
Yet neighbors said the gut-wrenching reports couldn’t persuade the Cleveland cops to go inside the rundown house — where three women kidnapped between 2002 and 2004 were held hostage by the vile homeowner, officials said.
Police banged on the door of the two-story home three times between 2004 and 2011, but never followed up or uncovered the continuing nightmare on Seymour Ave., according to neighbors and authorities.
The hostages were probably inside each time the cops arrived, authorities said.
“They didn’t take it seriously,†said Elsie Cintron, who lived three doors down from the ramshackle residence where the three victims finally broke free Monday evening.
The good news of the women’s unlikely flight to freedom was undercut by questions about how authorities failed to find three missing women living under their noses — especially after repeated calls from neighbors.
Cleveland police insisted Tuesday night that “only two calls for service from police are shown at that address.â€