A harrowing case of an ongoing alleged kidnapping has unfolded on Bitter Creek Drive in southeast Austin, where a woman was found handcuffed outside a home, her body marked with the evidence of repeated BB gun shots. On Thursday, Oct. 30, Austin police responded to an urgent welfare check, a situation which quickly escalated to a criminal investigation, as first reported by CBS Austin and further detailed by KXAN.
According to the arrest affidavit, the victim, found screaming for help, had been handcuffed “for months,” and on the property both inside and outside. She was discovered half-naked, chained to an exercise apparatus, prompting the detainment and arrest of five individuals from the residence. During the investigation, the victim recounted a chilling shift in the relationship with one of the residents, stating, “one day they decided they didn’t like her anymore and no longer allowed her to leave,” as CBS Austin reports.
The five suspects, Michelle Garcia, 51, Crystal Garcia, 21, Mache Carney, 32, Juan Pablo Castro, 30, and Maynard Lefevers, 21, face charges of aggravated kidnapping, among other offenses. The victim described a sequence of abuses, including being shot with a BB gun and experiencing extreme cold after being left outdoors overnight. The police interviews uncovered a defense from the suspects, claiming the restraints were used to prevent the victim from committing thefts. Juan Pablo Castro, when interrogated by officials, allegedly admitted to shooting the woman with the BB gun as punishment for resisting the handcuffs, as detailed by KXAN…