Shivangi Sinha
Michelle Knight, Amanda Berry, and Gina DeJesus were abducted and imprisoned for years by Ariel Castro in his Cleveland, Ohio, home. During their captivity, they endured severe physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. The ordeal came to an end in May 2013 when Amanda Berry managed to alert neighbors and call 911, leading to the rescue of all three women and Amanda’s 6-year-old daughter, who was born during her captivity. In ABC’s ’20/20: Trapped,’ the survivors recount their harrowing experiences, the years they spent in confinement, and how they ultimately found strength and freedom after years of unimaginable trauma.
Michelle Knight is a Published Author and Public Speaker
Michelle Knight was just 21 when she vanished on August 23, 2002. That day, she was meant to appear in court regarding custody of her young son, Joey, who was in state care. While stopping at a grocery store, she encountered Ariel Castro, an acquaintance from the neighborhood. He offered her a ride, but instead took her to his house, where she was imprisoned and subjected to years of unimaginable abuse. Michelle later revealed that she often received the brunt of Castro’s violence because she refused to stay silent. Over her 11-year captivity, she endured multiple forced pregnancies and said he induced the miscarriages in her. One of the most daunting moments came on December 25, 2006, when Castro ordered her to help deliver Amanda Berry’s baby.
Michelle remained in captivity until May 6, 2013, when Berry managed to escape and alert authorities. She was rescued along with Berry and Gina DeJesus. She was immediately hospitalized, having suffered injuries so severe she reportedly needed facial reconstruction surgery and had permanently lost hearing in one ear. In court that August, during Castro’s sentencing, she addressed him directly, saying that while he stole 11 years of her life, she was free now and had taken her life back. After her release, she expressed deep gratitude to the public in a joint statement with the other survivors. In a 2014 interview, she spoke openly about her experiences and the lasting impact of her trauma. She revealed her son had been adopted and expressed hope that one day they could reconnect.
Per Michelle’s account, doctors told her she would not be able to have children due to the abuse she suffered, but she remained determined to build a future and adopt children. In May 2016, she married Miguel Rodriguez and eventually changed her name to Lily Rose Lee. She now dedicates her life to advocacy and healing. Through her nonprofit, Lily’s Ray of Hope, she supports women and children who have survived domestic violence, abuse, or trafficking. She also launched Unleashed Animal Rescue, a cause rooted in her desire to protect animals. It was something she longed to do after witnessing animal abuse while in captivity.
In 2023, to mark ten years since her rescue, Lily hosted a fundraising event named Tragedy to Triumph, combining a dinner and raffle to support her causes. Her memoirs, ‘Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed: A Memoir of the Cleveland Kidnappings,’ which was released in 2014, and ‘Life After Darkness: Finding Healing and Happiness After the Cleveland Kidnappings,’ which was published in 2018, chronicle her resilience and journey forward. Today, she continues to work as a public speaker and has given strength and hope to others.
Amanda Berry is Helping Other Families With Her Work at a News Channel Today
Amanda Berry disappeared from Cleveland, Ohio, on April 21, 2003, just one day before her 17th birthday. That evening, after leaving her shift at a local Burger King, she called her sister to say she had a ride home. That was the last anyone heard from her. At first, authorities suspected she had run away, but that theory was dismissed a week later when someone used her phone to call her mother and ominously claimed Amanda was safe and would return soon. That person was later identified as Ariel Castro himself. Despite tireless efforts from her family, especially her mother, Louwana Miller, Amanda remained missing. Louwana passed away in 2006 from a heart condition without ever knowing the truth.
In December 2006, Amanda gave birth while still in captivity. It was her daughter who became a symbol of both survival and hope during their ordeal. On May 6, 2013, nearly ten years after she disappeared, Amanda found that the interior door of Ariel Castro’s home hadn’t been properly locked while he was away. She took the chance to scream for help, catching the attention of neighbors. Her actions led to her own rescue, as well as the rescue of her daughter, Michelle Knight, and Gina DeJesus. Since being freed, Amanda has rebuilt her life with remarkable strength. In 2015, she was awarded an honorary diploma from John Marshall High School, a milestone she never got to celebrate at the time.
In 2017, she joined Cleveland’s Fox 8 News, hosting a segment titled “Missing with Amanda Berry.” Her work focuses on bringing attention to missing person cases in her community, driven in part by her own experience and the fact that Castro used to let her watch news coverage about her own disappearance. She’s helped bring resolution to several families and has been publicly recognized for her contributions, including by the US Marshals. In 2015, Amanda worked on the book ‘Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland’ along with Gina and they shared their story with the world. The book was co-written by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan.
Her daughter, Jocelyn, is now a teenager, and Amanda often speaks with pride about the empathetic and grounded young woman she’s becoming. In 2019, Amanda reunited with Charles Ramsey, the neighbor who helped her escape, for an interview reflecting on that moment that brought her freedom. It was quite emotional for her. She continues to use her platform to advocate for others, connect with fellow survivors like Elizabeth Smart, and remind missing persons’ families that they are not alone. In 2023, she mentioned being in a relationship, the first of her life, and spoke about how it helps her feel a sense of normalcy. She has said that while her life may never be “normal,” she’s happy with what she has and is looking forward to more.
Gina DeJesus is Using Her Non-Profit Organization to Bring Aid to Others
Gina DeJesus was just 14 years old when her life changed in an instant. On April 2, 2004, while walking home from school in Cleveland, she walked away from her friend Arlene Castro (Ariel Castro’s daughter) after the latter’s mother declined a request to let the girls hang out after school. Shortly afterward, Ariel Castro approached Gina under the pretense of looking for his daughter and lured her into his vehicle. Instead of helping, he took her to his house, where he would keep her captive for nine long years. While the public searched and her family held frequent vigils, Gina remained hidden inside the very community she’d grown up in. Castro even attended several of the vigils, blending in and speaking with Gina’s mother without raising suspicion. Her disappearance was featured on ‘America’s Most Wanted’ as the case gained national attention.
Finally, on May 6, 2013, Gina was rescued alongside Michelle Knight and Amanda Berry. She was taken to the hospital, released a day later, and returned to a world she hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. In the time since, she has deliberately chosen a quieter life, but her impact has been anything but small. After publicly thanking her supporters in July 2013, she stepped back to focus on healing. Two years later, in 2015, she and Amanda Berry received honorary high school diplomas from John Marshall High School. Still living in Cleveland, Gina began working with the Northeast Ohio Amber Alert Committee to support families dealing with the anguish of missing loved ones.
Her passion eventually led her to launch the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults in 2018. Known as the Cleveland Family, the organization is run with the help of her parents, Nancy Ruiz and Felix DeJesus, who serve on the board. Gina has emphasized that when she went missing, her family didn’t receive help with even the most basic support, like printing flyers or coordinating search efforts. Her nonprofit now fills that gap for others. By 2022, they had worked with over 50 families, offering real-time aid and emotional support. Outside of her advocacy, Gina has spoken candidly about the ups and downs of recovery. Healing, she says, isn’t always linear, but being surrounded by family and channeling her energy into helping others has given her purpose. Through self-expression and service, she continues to reclaim her identity and shape a meaningful path forward.
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