Half-naked woman 'missing flesh' and handcuffed in backyard was tortured for weeks, beaten with bat, shot with BB gun: Cops



Police found a half-naked woman handcuffed in a Texas backyard who had been tortured for a considerable period of time by five people she knew for years, authorities said.

The Austin Police Department said in a statement that officers conducted a welfare check just after 9 a.m. Oct. 30 after a report regarding a "woman in distress who appeared to be restrained and calling for help."

The woman told investigators she 'got in trouble' the night before police found her because her pants fell down, according to the affidavit.

Police said they discovered a woman outside a home who was "handcuffed to a piece of exercise equipment."

"The woman showed signs of physical distress and had visible injuries consistent with prolonged restraint," the press release read. "The woman told officers she had been held at the residence for several months and was not allowed to leave."

Police said they had to cut through the "heavy metal links" to release the woman who soon was taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Officers discovered three children inside the house who were "safely removed and placed in the care of Child Protective Services for safety and support."

Police arrested five people from the residence and charged them with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to elderly or disabled, and unlawful restraint.

The suspects were identified as 51-year-old Michelle Garcia, 32-year-old Mache Carney, 30-year-old Juan Pablo Castro, 21-year-old Crystal Garcia, and 21-year-old Maynard Lefevers.

The Austin American-Statesman said it obtained the arrest affidavit, which indicated the woman told police she was friends with one of the females who lived in the house and visited often — but "one day they decided they didn't like her anymore and no longer allowed her to leave."

The suspects said they had known the woman for years, the affidavit stated.

Carney told police they started restraining the woman to stop her from stealing from neighbors, the affidavit said.

Several of the suspects claimed the woman suffers from mental health issues, according to the affidavit.

Crystal Garcia told investigators that the woman was only “50/50” capable of consent, the affidavit stated.

RELATED: Female reportedly orders her 5 lovers to kidnap, torture, and deprive man of food and sleep for a week at Red Roof Inn

Citing the affidavit, KVUE-TV reported that the woman had been at the home since July and had been "handcuffed inside and outside the house for months."

Castro — the husband of Carney — admitted to purchasing the handcuffs, according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, the woman told detectives a male and a female repeatedly shot her with a BB gun and that she was beaten with a baseball bat and fed only once a day.

Michelle Garcia told investigators they fed the woman one meal a day because she had gotten "chunky," according to the arrest affidavit. However, police noted that the woman appeared malnourished when she was found.

Police said the woman told them she was punished if she tried to leave and had open wounds, cuts, swollen wrists, missing flesh from her hands and feet, extensive scarring all over her body from BB gunshots, and a battered face, the American-Statesman reported, citing the affidavit.

KVUE, citing law enforcement, reported that the woman had "hundreds of small BB scars across her body and a swollen shut right eye from a pellet injury."

The affidavit said the suspects confessed to shooting the woman with BB guns. Castro told police he bought an electric rifle-style BB gun "to shoot her" because he didn't want to touch the woman.

According to the arrest affidavit, Castro told authorities he would come home from work, grab the BB gun from his closet, and "chase her around the yard," firing pellets.

"I [expletive] hate her," Castro told investigators when asked why he shot the victim, the affidavit stated.

A 4-year-old child who lived at the home told a specialist during a forensic interview that Castro — his father — shot the woman when she was "bad," according to the affidavit. The child said he could hear the woman outside screaming, according to the affidavit.

The woman told investigators she "got in trouble" the night before police found her because her pants fell down, according to the affidavit.

The American-Statesman said as "punishment," a number of suspects "allegedly shot her repeatedly with a BB gun," secured her in the backyard with handcuffs, then left her there "overnight without pants or food as temperatures dipped into the 40s." The paper, citing police, added that the woman said she "begged and cried to be released, but was threatened with more and worse violence" if she kept pleading.

The investigation is ongoing, and those with information about the case are urged to contact the Austin Police Department’s Human Trafficking Unit at 512-974-4786 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at austincrimestoppers.org or 512-472-8477.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A New Film Pays Fitting Tribute To The Christian Martyr Of Auschwitz

Like any truly beautiful story, Triumph of the Heart breaks you out of this world, leaving an indelible impression with its message of sacrificial love.

Florida drug traffickers reportedly tortured rival by pouring hot sauce into parts of his body



Lured by the prospect of receiving payment for an outstanding debt, a drug trafficking rival of Mario Espino came to Espino's Florida residence in October 2023, federal officials said.

But no payment was made, officials said.

Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said.

Instead, the rival — who also worked with Espino previously — was subjected to 18 hours of torture and physical abuse, officials said.

According to court documents, Espino plotted with Jacob James Guest and Joey Lawrence Eugene Young to kidnap the victim, officials said, adding that the trio bound, beat, and tortured him.

As part of the victim's torture, Espino and Young resorted to “pouring hot sauce in [his] eyes and anus,” Assistant U.S. Attorney David P. Sullivan wrote in Espino’s sentencing memorandum, according to the New York Post.

Espino, Guest, and Young also demanded 10 kilograms of fentanyl as ransom from the trafficker’s cartel drug sources, officials said.

RELATED: Fentanyl from Canada is killing Americans — but Trudeau cares more about prosecuting the Freedom Convoy

Fentanyl seized. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Post, citing court records, added that Espino had been frustrated over being cut out of the victim's drug business.

On October 11, 2023, the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Pasco Sheriff’s Office rescued the victim from a vehicle that Espino, Guest, and Young abandoned when law enforcement approached, officials said.

Agents found the victim in the back seat with a pillowcase over his head and zip ties and electrical cords around his wrists, officials said.

Espino, Guest, and Young also left behind 22 kilograms of methamphetamine, 100 grams of fentanyl, a firearm, and more than $10,000 in cash, officials said.

The United States Attorney's Office, Middle District of Florida, on Thursday announced that U.S. District Judge Mary S. Scriven sentenced Espino — now 25 years old — along with Guest and Young — now 24 and 25, respectively — to federal prison for drug trafficking, kidnapping, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes.

Espino received 22 years and 6 months behind bars while Guest got 20 years and Young got 25 years, officials said, adding that each of them previously pleaded guilty to the offenses.

RELATED: Savage drug lord tied to torture, murder of DEA agent dragged to US to face justice after Trump pressures Mexico over cartels

Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel

In regard to what could happen next to the defendants, Amy H. Filjones — public affairs specialist for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida — told Blaze News that the Sentencing Reform Act eliminated parole for federal crimes committed after November 1, 1987.

Tampa attorney Ron Frey added to Blaze News that "early release into a supervised release can be possible via various programs and through earned good time credit. However, this is all subject to eligibility and the specific characteristics of each particular defendant.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Female reportedly orders her 5 lovers to kidnap, torture, and deprive man of food and sleep for a week at Red Roof Inn



A woman and her five reported lovers are facing serious criminal charges after they allegedly kidnapped and tortured a man at an Ohio Red Roof Inn.

Aaron Bradshaw, 49; Austin Bradshaw, 23; Michael Esqueda, 28; Martina Jones, 28; David Cessna, 26; and Chance Johnston, 27, were all arrested March 21. A grand jury on Thursday indicted all six suspects. They all were charged with one count of kidnapping, three counts of felonious assault, and two counts of tampering with evidence.

'His injuries were results of being struck with a baseball bat, struck with fists, elbows, stomping on him when he was on the ground, which over time resulted in multiple fractured bones.'

Citing the police report, the Kansas City Star said a dogfight broke out at Jones' home, and she attempted to break up the melee, but she ended up breaking her arm.

Jones allegedly told Austin Bradshaw, Aaron Bradshaw, Esqueda, Cessna, and Johnston that a 26-year-old man broke her arm.

Police claimed Jones ordered the five men to beat and assault the victim.

The men then punched, kicked, and beat the 26-year-old with a metal baseball bat for several hours, according to a police report.

Police suspect that the victim was assaulted and kidnapped March 14.

Court docs say the group held the kidnapped man against his will for over a week at a Red Roof Inn in Maumee.

The man reportedly was forced to stand for “extended periods of time,” was allowed to eat and drink only one time a day, and slept for a total of 10 hours over seven days.

The group allegedly told the victim that if he tried to escape, they would "beat his [expletive]."

On March 21, the suspects allowed the 26-year-old to leave the motel to go to the Speedway convenience store, police said.

"When he was there, he made contact with an individual, who got in contact with the victim’s mother," stated Maumee Chief of Police Josh Sprow.

The 26-year-old’s mother reportedly rushed to the Red Roof Inn to help her son.

Officers with the Maumee Police Department responded to the hotel.

The victim sustained injuries all over his body and was transported to a local hospital, police said. He's expected to survive his injuries.

The Blade reported that prosecutors told the judge that the victim suffered serious injuries as a result of the abuse, including broken bones, but “the totality of those injuries has not been determined.”

“He was being essentially tortured, assaulted, over the time frame of a week,” stated Sprow. “His injuries were results of being struck with a baseball bat, struck with fists, elbows, stomping on him when he was on the ground, which over time resulted in multiple fractured bones.”

Assistant city prosecutor Andy Lastra called the case “extremely disturbing.”

Investigators determined that Jones was in romantic relationships with the five male suspects and has multiple children with them.

“It’s clearly a strange situation when you have multiple adult men involved in a relationship with a female, and then this whole felonious assault/kidnapping taking place. Definitely not something that is normally happening in our city,” Sprow noted.

All six suspects have been detained at the Lucas County Corrections Center and were given a $200,000 bond, according to court records.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Florida couple accused of stuffing billiard ball in tortured teen mom's mouth, suffocating her, ditching her dismembered body



A Florida couple allegedly kidnapped, tortured, and murdered a teen mom, according to authorities.

Miranda Corsette — a 16-year-old mother to an 11-month-old baby — allegedly met 35-year-old Steven Gress on a dating app, then went to his St. Petersburg residence on Valentine's Day.

Gress and Brandes 'held the victim against her will for more than seven days and tortured her by repeatedly beating the victim and eventually stuffing a billiard ball into her mouth and wrapping her face with plastic wrap, causing her to suffocate.'

Corsette is said to have returned to her grandmother's home in Gulfport the next day — but soon after that day went back to Gress' house. Police said Corsette remained there for days with Gress and his domestic partner, 37-year-old Michelle Brandes.

Corsette's grandmother on Feb. 24 reported her missing to the Gulfport Police Department. Corsette was homeschooled and lived with her grandmother because Corsette's parents are deceased, St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway stated during a press conference.

"We are very familiar with Miranda," said Commander Mary Farrand, who is also Gulfport's acting police chief. "She is a frequent runaway, and she has a history of mental health issues as well as drug abuse. The grandmother is her primary caregiver at this time."

Farrand explained that the grandmother — who didn't report Corsette missing for several days — said her granddaughter "normally comes home," and the grandmother said "she doesn’t report her missing every time she leaves. She just didn’t come back in a timely manner this time."

On March 6, a witness contacted police with a tip about a possible kidnapping and murder of a missing teen, and detectives determined Corsette was the missing teen referred to in the tip.

On Feb. 20, Brandes and Gress accused the teen mother of stealing a ring, according to the arrest affidavit.

Chief Holloway said the couple beat and tortured Corsette because they couldn't find the ring.

The Tampa Bay Times, citing the affidavit, reported that Gress and Brandes "held the victim against her will for more than seven days and tortured her by repeatedly beating the victim and eventually stuffing a billiard ball into her mouth and wrapping her face with plastic wrap, causing her to suffocate."

The St. Petersburg Police Department said of Corsette in a statement, "Sometime between February 20th and February 24th, she was killed."

Police said Gress put Corsette’s body in his car and drove to a home in nearby Largo; detectives found evidence that Corsette was dismembered there.

Chief Holloway said Brandes' mother owns the Largo home .

Police said Gress and Brandes drove about 50 miles to ditch the body in a dumpster in Ruskin.

Detectives located the dumpster but have yet to find the teen girl's remains. On Friday, police said they believe her remains likely are in a landfill.

Gress already was in jail for unrelated charges when the accusations about Corsette came to light.

On March 6, Gress was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and possession of methamphetamine and marijuana, records show. Police said Gress pointed a harpoon at Brandes.

In the missing teen case, Gress was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping.

Gress was being held at the Pinellas County Jail without bail.

An assistant public defender has been appointed to represent him and has entered a not-guilty plea on his behalf, according to court records.

Brandes turned herself in to police Saturday morning. She is charged with first-degree murder in connection with Corsette's death.

The St. Petersburg Police Department noted, "This is still a very active investigation, and more charges are expected."

Anyone with information on this case is urged to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department at 727-893-7780.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Male tortured girlfriend for days, tattooed 'degrading words' on her chest before murdering her on Christmas Eve: Officials



A California man was convicted Tuesday of nine felony counts in connection with the 2021 murder and torture of his girlfriend.

A jury found Saul C. Nava, 24, guilty of first-degree murder, torture, kidnapping, aggravated mayhem, assault with a deadly weapon, inflicting corporal injury to current/former spouse/cohabitant/fiancé, and possession of child pornography.

'I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified.'

Senior Deputy District Attorney David Russell stated, "Although this result cannot erase the immeasurable pain the defendant inflicted on the victims and their families, we hope that this brings some measure of closure to see him held accountable for his horrific crimes."

Officials said Nava tortured his girlfriend for days and murdered her on Christmas Eve. Then he called 911.

Police responded to the call and found a gruesome crime scene at Nava's studio apartment in Thousand Oaks.

Nava tortured Alisen Takacs-Escobar, 24, for days, she and had injuries over her entire body. She suffered from extensive bruising and the top of her head also showed a large laceration.

The Ventura County District Attorney's Office said "degrading words" were newly tattooed on the center of her chest.

Police said Nava had used tattoo equipment, baseball bats, a hammer, a belt, and a screwdriver to torture his girlfriend.

Nava’s cellphone was found in the apartment. In the hours leading up to her death, Nava had recorded videos with the phone that showed him "taunting her and displaying no concern for her worsening condition."

The Ventura County Star reported that there were four videos on Nava's phone that showed blood streaming across a large portion of Takacs-Escobar's face.

"Express yourself," a male voice is heard saying in one of the videos.

Takacs-Escobar replies: "I'm scared. I'm really scared. I'm terrified."

The male asks, "Is what you did worth it?" She answers no.

Nava was arrested at the apartment.

Ventura County Medical Examiner's Office found that Takacs-Escobar died of blunt force injuries and ruled her death a homicide.

The fatal attack purportedly occurred a few weeks after Nava noticed a phone message between Takacs-Escobar and a former boyfriend.

A police witness described the message as "flirtatious" and had discussed their former sexual relations.

The prosecution said they were not having a sexual relationship at the time.

Nava indicated he was aware that the pair were not having physical contact but said he considered flirting to be cheating.

An ex-girlfriend of Nava's told authorities he had physically abused her and confined her in a closet when they were teenagers.

At one point in the relationship, the ex-girlfriend said she attempted to flee, but Nava allegedly found her and threatened her with a knife until she got into his vehicle.

The ex-girlfriend got pregnant when she was 17 and said Nava punched her in the stomach and forced her to get an abortion. She said Nava punched her in the face, choked her, and secretly filmed their sex life.

Sophia Nuno, a high school friend of Takacs-Escobar, testified that her friend “was super friendly, bubbly, happy and outgoing” before she started dating Nava and that her behavior changed after she started dating him.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Biden Suddenly Admires Dick Cheney After Calling Him ‘Most Dangerous’ VP In ‘History’
play icon

Biden Suddenly Admires Dick Cheney After Calling Him ‘Most Dangerous’ VP In ‘History’

Joe Biden says he's 'always admired' former Vice President Dick Cheney after spending a career trashing his predecessor.

UFC's Sean Strickland posts video of himself getting waterboarded: 'It can't be that bad'



UFC fighter Sean Strickland posted a video of himself on X getting tortured by waterboard, expressing that he simply wanted to know what it felt like.

Middleweight contender Strickland put his money where his mouth is and accepted a wager from ... seemingly himself when he posted the video and stated that since he was a kid he didn't think the form of torture could be "that bad."

Waterboarding is defined by Cambridge Dictionary as a "form of torture ... in which a person is held facing upward while water is poured in large quantities over their face. This gives the person the feeling that they are drowning," with the idea that they are "unable to breathe and dying."

"When I was a kid I thought 'I wanna know what water boarding feels like, it can't be that bad,'" Strickland wrote on X. "I can tell you it was one of the most f***ed up things I've experienced lol."

Attached was a 12-second video of Strickland shirtless on a floor next to an oven. The arm of an unknown person used what seemed to be a garden hose nozzle to spray Strickland — who had a T-shirt over his head — in the face, with the fighter's hands confined in makeshift handcuffs.

The would-be torturer ensured that he was spraying Strickland in the face and controlled his head with a hand around the 185-pound fighter's neck.

Be advised that the video could be seen as disturbing and is age-restricted on X.

Strickland stuck around on his account to answer a couple of fan questions after posting the video, the first of which came in just a minute after the footage was put online.

'When you see these youtubers like Steven crowder doing it saying "it's [not] that bad" [it's] because you weren't.'

"Sean why did you do this? This is tough," one viewer asked.

"You think 'I can just breathe lightly and take a big breath when the water stops' nope you are 100 percent drowning.........." Strickland replied.

You think "I can just breathe lightly and take a big breath when the water stops" nope you are 100 percent drowning..........
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 12, 2024

"What if you just hold your breath for a minute?" another viewer asked.

"You're going to have to breathe at some point lol," Strickland answered.

After another viewer stated that after the "cloth is wet you basically can't breathe through it without taking in water," Strickland called out YouTubers, specifically Steven Crowder, saying they clearly haven't been waterboarded properly.

"Yeah man.... no [matter what] you do you can't breathe.. it's f***ed... When you see these youtubers like Steven crowder doing it saying 'it's [not] that bad' [it's] because you weren't f**king water boarded lol."

Yeah man.... no mater water you do you can't breathe.. it's fucked... When you see these youtubers like Steven crowder doing it saying "it's no that bad" because you weren't fucking water boarded lol
— Sean Strickland (@SStricklandMMA) June 12, 2024

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Colombian had images on phone of 'people being tortured': US Border Patrol chief



U.S. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens reported that authorities arrested an individual trying to unlawfully enter the country and that they found images on the man's phone of "people being tortured."

"3/14: USBP in El Paso, TX arrested a Colombian attempting to enter the country illegally. Agents searched the subject & found photos of people being tortured on his phone. He also had specific tattoos indicative of gang membership (Clan del Golfo)," the tweet states.

Bill Melugin of Fox News shared the post, writing, "Sounds like a lovely guy."

"Secretary Mayorkas and President Biden's catch-and-release schemes have emboldened criminals like this to cross our Southwest border. It's terrifying to think how many more dangerous gang members are crossing undetected," GOP Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee said in a tweet.

— (@)

More than three dozen House Republicans have signed onto a letter urging colleagues to leverage the power of the purse to fight for border security and against the "radical politicization" of the Pentagon.

"Is there a point at which we will refuse to let this happen on our watch, or is there no threshold of harm to our nation for which we would refuse to fund the government perpetrating the invasion?" the letter states. "The House must put forth an appropriations measure that forces the inclusion of the core elements of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, ends funding of trafficking, and prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections, otherwise Republicans will be actively funding Biden's 'open borders' policies," the letter notes.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Stepmom pimp faces 18 years in prison for failing to stop wannabe rapper husband from torturing 6 kids, locking them in dog cages



A Las Vegas stepmother faces up to 18 years in prison for failing to stop her husband from torturing six children – who were locked away in dog cages.

Amanda Stamper, 33, was previously indicted on seven counts of felony child abuse and neglect by a grand jury in Clark County. In December, Stamper pleaded guilty to three felony counts of child abuse, neglect, or endangerment.

On Thursday, Clark County District Court Judge Nadia Krall sentenced Stamper to serve between seven and 18 years in prison for failing to protect children from horrific abuse.

Before being sentenced, Stamper told the courtroom, "I'm embarrassed to be here. I know I should have done something sooner. I do take full responsibility for it. I was not in the best situation either, and I was scared."

Stamper was a sex worker and worked as a pimp for her 32-year-old husband, Travis Doss. Police said Stamper failed to prevent her wannabe rapper husband, known as "Trap Montana, from brutally abusing the children – ages 2 to 11.

Authorities said Stamper only blew the whistle on the appalling child abuse after she learned that her husband had been cheating on her.

Stamper only contacted authorities after she reportedly sent Doss nearly 100 text messages that went unanswered by her husband.

Clark County Chief Deputy District Attorney Dena Rinetti noted that it was evident that it "was all about her and it was never about children."

"Every single day the defendant failed to protect her six stepchildren," Rinetti added. "Her actions and her inactions will affect these children for the rest of their lives."

Rinetti said Doss locked up one of the children in a dog cage for five days while starving him. The child was reportedly severely malnourished.

As Blaze News previously reported, police bodycam video exposed the ghastly conditions that the kids were subjected to.

The police bodycam footage from June 2023 showed two children locked in dog cages as the other minors were left alone inside a one-bedroom motel unit. KLAS-TV reported that many of the children were covered in bruises and extremely malnourished.

Doss even texted a photo of one of the children appearing to be dead and told Stamper that he had killed the boy. The child turned out to be alive.

Stamper claimed she was a victim of her husband and was terrified to report the child abuse.

Rinetti argued that if Stamper truly felt that she was in danger, she had access to a vehicle and opportunities to leave the home and call police or Child Protective Services.

The grand jury indicted Doss on 38 felony counts of child abuse, two counts of first-degree kidnapping, one count of sex trafficking, and one count of living off of the earnings of a prostitute. Stamper is the alleged victim of the sex trafficking accusations.

At the time of his arrest, Doss had an active warrant for aggravated assault committed in South Carolina, according to North Myrtle Beach Police.

Doss is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 29.

At the time of their arrests, Stamper and Doss had one child together. Stamper reportedly gave birth to another child in December.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Las Vegas stepmom sent to prison after children found locked in dog cage www.youtube.com