Girls Imprisoned Tucson by Their Parents and Tortured With Music, Police Say
The parents of three sisters who were imprisoned for more than three years in their home tortured the young girls by playing music constantly, police said Wednesday.
The girls, who were covered in filth and who showed signs of malnourishment, told police that they had been "imprisoned in their bedrooms for at least the last several months and possibly up to two years," according to a police incident report.
Police discovered the horrendous scene on Tuesday when two of the girls, ages 12 and 13, were able to escape and notify a neighbor that they were trying to evade their stepfather who was attacking them with a knife, Police Chief Roberto Villasenor revealed during a press conference.
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Authorities later found a third sister, 17, locked in a bedroom inside the house.
Once investigators were able to gain entry inside the house they found a series of locked doors that were secured with what described as several complex alarm systems complete with video and audio capabilities.
Police stated that this allowed the parents to watch the children as they were subjected to a "constant barrage" of music.
Fernando Richter, 34, the girls' stepfather, Sophia Richter, 32, the girls' mother, were arrested and booked into the Pima County Jail.
Sophia Richter faces three counts of kidnapping, three counts of child abuse and three counts of physical abuse. The stepfather faces the same charges, plus an additional count of sexual abuse with a person younger than 15, according to the report.
A judge on Wednesday set bond for Fernando Richter at $100,000 and for Sophia Richter at $75,000 as the pair appeared before the judge via video, according to KOLD.
News of the tragic case began to spread around the country after 4 a.m. Tuesday, when police were dispatched to a report of a domestic incident involving a knife, according to police.
