Three teenage sisters from Arizona have been rescued from their home after being held captive for two years by what is believed to have been their parents, according to the Associated Press.
Tucson police say the girls are siblings and are ages 12, 13, and 17. The siblings were discovered after the younger two escaped to a neighbor's house and claimed their stepfather had threatened them with a knife, according to TucsonNewsNow.com.
Police officials said the girls were found in poor condition as they appeared malnourished and said they had not bathed for months. The younger sisters also told authorities they had been kept in the home for two years and they had not seen their older sister in that time.
Two adults were arrested and charged. A 34-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman were booked into the Pima County Jail on suspicion of three counts of kidnapping, three counts of child abuse-emotional abuse and three counts of child abuse-physical abuse.
The man also was accused of one count of sexual abuse of a person under age 15, according to police, who didn't immediately know Tuesday night if the couple had attorneys.
Tucson Police Capt. Michael Gillooly said at a news conference that all three girls were malnourished and dirty, and they told officers they hadn't taken a bath in up to six months.
"They were kept in filthy living conditions," said Gillooly, adding that the two youngest girls were kept in a separate bedroom from their 17-year-old sister.
