An 18-year-old woman from South Jersey is at the center of a case prosecutors have called one of the most disturbing they’ve ever seen, after she escaped what authorities describe as a “house of horrors” where she was allegedly kept captive for years.
Her mother, Brenda Spencer, 38, and stepfather, Branndon Mosley, 41, were arrested in May and now face charges including kidnapping, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child. Mosley has also been accused of sexual abuse. If convicted, he faces a possible life sentence. Spencer faces up to 30 years.
According to investigators, the teenager had been pulled from school in the sixth grade and confined to her home. What followed, prosecutors say, was a pattern of escalating abuse that lasted for six years. Early on, she was allegedly forced to live in a dog crate, let out only periodically. Later, she was moved to a bathroom padlocked from the outside, sometimes chained, and forced to rely on a bucket as a toilet. At other times, she was kept in a bare room rigged with an alarm system meant to alert her captors if she tried to escape.
Authorities say she was allowed out only when family came to visit the home, to avoid suspicion. Court filings also allege that Mosley beat her with a belt and sexually abused her.
The teenager’s ordeal finally came to light on May 8, when she managed to escape with the help of a neighbor. Two days later, police responded to the home, where they found conditions consistent with her account. Investigators reported that she had been forced to live alongside numerous animals — dogs, chinchillas, and others — in unsanitary conditions. A second child, a 13-year-old girl, was also being homeschooled in the home but was not reported to have endured the same treatment.
“This is one of the most despicable cases I’ve ever run across,” Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said during a press conference in May.
Both Spencer and Mosley were indicted by a grand jury, and their attorneys entered not guilty pleas on Monday, Sept. 8. Prosecutors said potential plea deals were presented — 50 years for Mosley and 25 for Spencer — though Spencer’s attorney told reporters it was far too early to discuss agreements.
The case has left a community shaken and horrified, not only because of the cruelty described but because it happened in plain sight. Prosecutors say the case will test the system’s ability to respond to abuse that, for far too long, was kept in the dark.
