Woman Found Handcuffed in Texas Yard Was Allegedly Held Captive for Months — Now 5 People Face Charges By Nicole Acosta

Five people were arrested after a woman was found handcuffed outside a Texas home, where she claimed she had been held captive for several months, authorities said.

Officers responded to a home in Austin around 9 a.m. on Oct. 30 after receiving a call for a welfare check. The caller reported that a woman appeared to be restrained and was calling for help, the Austin Police Department said in a press release.

There, responding officers found the woman outside the home, “handcuffed to a piece of exercise equipment,” the release states. “The woman showed signs of physical distress and had visible injuries consistent with prolonged restraint.”

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by local news station KVUE, authorities believe the woman had also been repeatedly shot with a BB gun, citing small scars on her body and an apparent pellet injury to her eye.

The woman allegedly told investigators she “had been held at the residence for several months and was not allowed to leave,” per the release.

Police said officers were “forced to cut through heavy metal links” to free the woman, who was subsequently taken to a hospital for evaluation and treatment.

Soon after, five residents of the home were taken into custody, according to police, who alleged they “were involved in restraining and assaulting the victim over a period of time.”

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Police added that three children who were also inside the house were “safely removed and placed in the care of Child Protective Services for safety and support,” per the release.

The suspects — Michelle Garcia, 51, Crystal Garcia, 21, Juan Pablo Castro, 30, Mache Carney, 32, Maynard Lefevers, 21 — are all charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to elderly or disabled and unlawful restraint, police said.

It’s unclear if they have entered pleas or retained attorneys to speak on their behalf.