A disturbing case out of Michigan has left investigators stunned after police say a woman allegedly held her own sister-in-law captive in a basement for years — until the victim finally made a desperate escape.
Tasha Beamon, 48, was arrested and charged with unlawful imprisonment and first-degree abuse of a vulnerable adult after authorities uncovered what they describe as a horrifying situation inside a Saginaw home.
The case came to light on March 15 when police responded to a report of a broken window at a house on Gilbert Street. But when officers arrived, they quickly realized something far more serious had just unfolded.
A frail 58-year-old woman was found outside, telling officers she had just escaped from a nearby home where she had been held against her will for about two years.
According to police, the woman said she smashed the window on purpose — hoping someone would call for help.
“She told officers she was not fed very often and didn’t have access to water,” a police official said.
Investigators say the woman identified Beamon, her sister-in-law and caregiver, as the person responsible for keeping her confined.
The victim told authorities she was forced to live on a mattress in a locked basement, with a radio constantly playing nearby. She said she was rarely alone, but seized an opportunity to escape when she believed no one was home.
A neighbor who encountered the woman after she broke the window said she immediately begged him to call police.
“She was skin and bones,” he said, describing how weak and frail she appeared.
When officers searched the home, they reportedly found conditions that backed up the victim’s claims — including a locked basement door that couldn’t be opened from the inside, a mattress, and containers of urine.
Authorities also said the woman had little to no access to food, water, a bathroom, or even basic hygiene.
She was rushed to a hospital, where medical staff determined she was severely malnourished and in critical condition.
Investigators believe the alleged motive may have been financial. Police say Beamon may have kept the victim confined in order to collect her disability payments.
Beamon has denied holding the woman in the basement, claiming she stayed in an upstairs bedroom — but authorities say that version of events does not match the evidence found at the scene.
She is currently being held in the Saginaw County Jail on a $100,000 bond and is expected to appear in court later this month.
Just lock her in a basement and treat her like she treated her SIL. Save the money she’d cost in prison. A basement would be fine.