Teen locked in dog crate escapes New Jersey home where confined for years, prosecutors say

A teenager escaped a New Jersey home where prosecutors say she was confined to a dog crate and held captive with her younger sister for years, allegedly by a couple who are in custody on abuse and kidnapping charges.

The couple, Brenda Spencer, 38, and her husband, Branndon Mosley, 41, also face additional charges of aggravated assault, criminal restraint and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office announced May 14.

Mosely was also charged with aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child with sexual contact for allegedly molesting the older sibling, now age 18, in connection with the nearly eight-year-long abuse at the house in Gloucester Township.

The home is in western central New Jersey, about 15 miles southeast of Philadelphia.

"This is one of the most despicable cases that I've ever run across," Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins said during a May 14 news conference.

How was the teenage girl found?

The 18-year-old girl escaped the home on May 8, and a neighbor helped her contact police, the prosecutors' office wrote in a news release.

Harkins did not release details about how the teen escaped but said she was located at a Wawa convenience store with the neighbor when police spoke with her.

Police said they arrested Spencer and Mosley at the home in Gloucester Township on May 11 after Hawkins said the 18-year-old girl later told police about the alleged abuse, officials said.

"What this young woman survived was absolutely horrific," Camden County Prosecutor Grace MacAulay told reporters during the news conference, calling the case both disturbing and heartbreaking

'Forced to live in a dog crate for approximately one year'

The teenage girl told police the abuse began in 2018 when she was pulled from school, and she alleged that it reportedly took place for years.

"She was forced to live in a dog crate for approximately one year and she was later forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while being chained up," MacAulay said.

MacAulay said the teen told authorities that she was let out of the bathroom "only when family visited the residence."

"At other times, she was forced to live in a bare room with just a bucket to use instead of a toilet," prosecutors wrote in the release. "She explained the bare room had an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she tried to leave."

The teen also reported being whipped with a belt and allegedly sexually abused by Mosley, prosecutors said.

After speaking with the teen, MacAulay said during a search of the home, detectives discovered she lived in "squalid conditions" alongside multiple animals, including chinchillas and large dogs, such as Great Danes. 

Detectives also discovered a 13-year-old girl living in the home. Officials said she was also removed from school years earlier, "at Spencer’s discretion," and both girls were homeschooled.

During the news conference, MacAalay said both teens were safe.

USA TODAY is not naming the teenage girls to protect their identities.

Brenda Spencer, Branndon Mosely remain jailed

Upon their arrests, Spencer was unemployed, while Mosley worked as a train conductor for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA).

USA TODAY contacted SEPTA on May 15 but has not received a response.

Police said they had not previously responded to the couple's residence for incidents other than barking dog complaints.

As of May 15, both defendants remained jailed at the Camden County Correctional Facility, pending May 16 detention hearings in Superior Court.

It was not immediately known whether either had obtained legal counsel in their respective cases.

Anyone with information can contact Detective Timothy Jordan at 856-365-3073 and Detective Daniel Ritz of the Gloucester Township Police Department at 856-228-4500.