Cleveland Abduction 2015

Michelle Knight, Taryn Manning, is a 21-year-old single mother in Cleveland who has just lost custody of her son. On August 23, 2002, she heads to a court hearing hoping for a fresh start, when a ride from her neighbor’s father, Ariel Castro, takes a dark turn. Raymond Cruz abducts Knight and confines her in his home, where she clings to her faith and to the hope of reuniting with her child.

Soon after, Castro abducts and rapes two more girls, Amanda Berry Samantha Droke and Gina DeJesus Katie Sarife. The three women are imprisoned together, forming a fragile but steady bond as they become each other’s support system and, in many ways, sisters through the years of captivity.

Berry’s life at Castro’s hands takes another tragic turn when she becomes pregnant with Castro’s child. Knight stands firm beside her, even delivering the baby herself and performing CPR on the infant under Castro’s threat that the child would not survive if she failed. In those cramped, oppressive confines, their resolve and care for one another stay alive, offering small moments of humanity amid the brutality.

For more than a decade, the trio endures relentless brutality and confinement, their spirit kept intact by mutual courage and the belief that they might someday reclaim their lives. Then, on May 6, 2013, Berry makes a daring escape, prompting a rapid police response that leads to the liberation of Knight, Berry, and Gina. The aftermath finally grants Knight the chance to begin rebuilding her life after nearly 11 years of captivity.