The Story of Gina DeJesus and Her Kidnapping

Gina DeJesus (left) was 14 years old in 2004, and so was her best friend Arlene Castro (right). The two girls were close friends.

On April 2, 2004, Gina lent Arlene 50 cents so she could call her mom. They planned to have a sleepover at Gina's house. But when Arlene called her mom, she was told to come home right away. So, Arlene said goodbye to Gina, and the two friends went their separate ways.

With only 50 cents left, Gina didn’t have enough money for the bus ride home, so she decided to walk instead.

On her way home, Gina was stopped by Arlene’s father. He was a bus driver at her school, and she knew him well. He offered to give her a ride.

But Gina never made it home.

The man who took her was 44-year-old Ariel Castro. He kidnapped Gina, took her to a hidden part of his house, and chained her up. She was kept with two other women, Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry, who were also held captive by Castro. The three women endured horrible treatment for years until they finally escaped in May 2013.

After Castro was caught, he told the police that they could have found him earlier if they had looked at the school surveillance footage where Gina was taken.

"If they would have questioned me… it’s possible that it would have ended right there,” Castro said in court. “I feel that the FBI let those girls down.” Continue reading

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