An incredible story of terror and survival has led to the freedom of a long missing 15-year-old girl in the U.S. Danielle Cramer disappeared from her
West Hartford, Connecticut home in June 2006, and authorities had been searching for her ever since. Many had given up hope she was still alive. But incredibly on Wednesday, they found her safe in a place no one ever thought to look - a locked space hidden under a stairwell in a couple's West Bloomfield home.
Cops had gone to the residence of Adam Gault and Ann Murphy to serve a search warrant in relation to the case, when a sharp eyed agent spotted something strange near a staircase. When they opened the door, they found the now-15-year-old girl locked in, but still very much alive. There's no word on how long she'd been kept in her makeshift prison. "The juvenile was found locked in a small hidden room under a staircase, which was blocked from view by a cabinet," explains local police Capt. Jeffrey Blatter in a statement.
Both adults, the man 40, the woman 39, have been placed under arrest and have been taken in for questioning. Police indicate more arrests may be coming.
Authorities have yet to say exactly what Cramer may have been subjected to during her time in captivity. Gault has been charged with unlawful restraint, reckless endangerment, and custodial interference, and is being held on bond. Murphy is facing conspiracy and risk of injury charges.
The girl has been taken for a medical examination, bringing a stunning end to a case police feared might turn out differently. "The discovery of the missing juvenile was unexpected, but of great relief to investigators, who feared the worst based on the evidence compiled to date," Blatter notes.
Photo courtesy: missingkids.com