Three people in Rochester, NY have been arrested and charged with kidnapping a pregnant woman and her 2-year-old child, then holding her prisoner and torturing her because they wanted to take away both the unborn baby and the toddler.
According to WHEC News, the unnamed victim was held prisoner from June 3 to Aug. 1 by William Greer -- the father of her unborn child and the 2-year-old -- and Jillianne and Joshua Mencel.
Neighbors reportedly called the police on multiple occasions over the summer to say that they heard screaming coming from inside the house, but it was not until police entered the home on Aug. 1 that they found the pregnant woman locked in a room with blacked-out windows and alarms at all points of egress.
During the weeks of her captivity, Greer and the Mencels beat the pregnant woman, tore out handfuls of her hair, choked her until she passed out and repeatedly threatened to kill both her and her unborn child.
William Greer is the victim's former fiancé. He allegedly wanted custody of both the 2-year-old and the gestating baby. However, Jillianne Mencel is described in prosecutors' documents as the "central ringleader" in the abduction and imprisonment.
Jillianne Mencel has been charged with first degree kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment and felony strangulation. Her bail was set at $100,000.
Joshua Mencel was charged with second degree kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment with bail set at $75,000.
Greer was also charged with second degree kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. His bail was set at $35,000.
The victim, said the DA's office, is living at a shelter and still pregnant with her second child.
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