Three women who went separately about a decade ago, when they were teenagers or early 20s, had been tied up but were found alive on Monday in a residential area just south of downtown Cleveland.Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight likely had been tied up during years of captivity, said police, who arrested three brothers, police said, as reported by the Associated Press.
Amanda Berry, Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus identified themselves.
"We confirmed it's them," a detective told The Plain Dealer. "They are alive and safe."
Amanda Berry was last seen after finishing her shift at a fast food restaurant in Cleveland on the eve of her 17th birthday.
Police did not immediately provide any details of how the women were found but said they appeared to be in good health and had been taken to a hospital to be reunited with relatives and to be evaluated, the Huffington Post reported.
On a recorded 911 call Monday, Berry said, "I''m Amanda Berry. I've been on the news for the last 10 years. I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here. I'm free now," she told the dispatcher.
Michelle Knight went missing in 2002 and is now 32. The ages for the other two women were not provided.
Berry's mother, Louwana Miller, who had been hospitalized for months with pancreatitis and other ailments, died in March 2006. She had spent the previous three years looking for her daughter, whose disappearance took a toll as her health steadily deteriorated, family and friends said.
"We have many unanswered questions regarding this case, and the investigation will be ongoing," Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said in a statement.
Two men arrested for questioning in the disappearance of DeJesus in 2006 after officers did not find her body during a search of the men's house, the AP reported.
