Michigan Woman Secretly Kept Her Sister-In-Law Captive In Basement For Years

A case of unlawful imprisonment has been lodged against a Michigan-based woman.

Tasha Beamon, 48, is accused of locking her sister-in-law in the basement of a house in Saginaw for almost two years. The 58-year-old victim managed to escape after breaking open a window in the basement of the home. She tried to get help, and it was the homeowner who promptly dialed 911.

According to authorities, Tasha has now been charged with one count of unlawful imprisonment and one count of first-degree vulnerable adult abuse. The victim, after escaping the basement, detailed what happened during the two years that she was kept locked up.

Saginaw County police received a frantic call on March 15 from a home on the 1600 block of Gilbert Street. The caller informed authorities that a woman had broken a window at their home and was still standing outside.

​Officers who arrived at the scene spotted the captive woman looking extremely malnourished and vulnerable. The woman revealed that she broke the home’s window after escaping from the basement of another home. She defended her actions as necessary to get the homeowners to call the police.

It was then that the victim described what happened. She alleged that it was her sister-in-law who was responsible for holding her against her will in the basement of another home. She was locked there for over two years before successfully escaping through a window..

An officer, speaking to MichiganLive, further shared, “She told officers she was not fed very often and that she didn’t have any access to water.” During further investigation of the basement, Saginaw police officers found terrible living conditions in the basement.

They spotted a dilapidated mattress lying on the basement floor, a bucket filled with urine, and a locked door. The woman confirmed that she received minimal food and drinking water in confinement. She had absolutely no access to a bathroom or running water during the two years she was locked in.

The victim was admitted to the hospital for receiving treatment after her brave escape. While the exact reason behind Tasha’s actions wasn’t clarified, she was arrested and lodged at the Saginaw County Jail soon after. She has been held on a bond of $100,000 at the moment. Her next set of court proceedings is scheduled to take place on April 13 and 20.

​As per the police, Tasha was the one registered as her sister-in-law’s primary caretaker, a detail which makes the case and her reason for the attack all the more complex. Meanwhile, the Saginaw Police Chief has issued a brief statement regarding the development surrounding the case.

Bob Ruth commended the timely action taken by the cops in rescuing the woman. He said: “I commend the officers and detectives for their thorough work in bringing this case to a close and securing charges related to these deeply troubling allegations.”