A routine maintenance visit at a North Dakota apartment complex led to a horrifying discovery when a worker heard desperate cries for help and found a woman chained to a bed inside a darkened room. The woman told police she had been held captive for two years and had not been allowed outside.
The disturbing discovery unfolded Tuesday, November 3, at an apartment building on 44th Avenue South in Fargo, where the maintenance worker entered a unit after hearing someone calling for help.
Inside a bedroom, he reportedly found a woman restrained by a chain attached to her ankle, with a security camera pointed directly at her. The windows had been covered with aluminum foil, blocking her view of the outside world.
Police arrived and discovered the woman with a chain and padlock secured around her right ankle, with the other end fastened to the bed.
Investigators said the woman, who spoke through a translator, revealed that her ex-husband had brought her to Fargo from Mexico in 2024 and allegedly kept her confined ever since.
She claimed she had not been allowed outside the apartment for approximately two years.
According to court documents, the woman identified her former husband as 40-year-old Arturo Calzada Becerril, who allegedly delivered food to her twice a day but would not allow her to use a regular bathroom. Instead, she said, she was forced to use a bucket inside the bedroom.
The allegations became even more disturbing when the woman told investigators she had been physically and sexually assaulted by both her former husband and another woman.
Officers removed the restraints and transported her to a hospital, where investigators documented bruising on her face and body.
Shortly after police arrived, 41-year-old Erendira Amoles returned to the apartment with her 8-year-old daughter.
According to investigators, Amoles acknowledged that she frequently locked the woman inside the room. She reportedly claimed she had restrained her on the day of the discovery because she needed to pick up her daughter from school.
When police questioned Calzada Becerril, he allegedly admitted keeping his ex-wife locked inside the apartment to prevent her from running away.
He also claimed that the woman had previously assaulted him and Amoles, although authorities have not publicly substantiated those allegations.
Both suspects were arrested and charged with kidnapping. Calzada Becerril also faces a domestic violence assault charge involving bodily injury, while Amoles faces a simple assault charge.
During their first court appearance Friday, November 6, a judge set bond at $500,000 for each defendant.
Prosecutors also revealed a surprising detail about the case, alleging that the two suspects had kept the woman confined in an effort to obtain immigration status. They told the court that the victim is a U.S. citizen.
Authorities have not publicly explained how the alleged confinement was intended to accomplish that goal, and the claim remains part of the prosecution’s case.
The discovery stunned neighbors, who said they had no idea someone might have been held captive just doors away from their own apartments.
One resident told Valley News Live that security personnel regularly patrolled the complex, making the alleged captivity even more difficult to comprehend.
Another neighbor said he could not believe nobody had heard anything suspicious or realized what was happening sooner.
A longtime tenant reportedly recalled seeing aluminum foil covering the apartment’s windows for years but never suspected what might have been happening behind them.
Fargo police are continuing to work with the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office as investigators piece together how long the woman was confined and the full extent of what she allegedly endured.
Authorities have indicated that additional charges could be filed as the investigation progresses.
