Half-naked woman was allegedly tortured and chained in Texas backyard for months by five ‘friends’ who didn’t ‘like her anymore’
The story began when Austin police received a 911 call around 9 a.m. on Oct. 30. Responders were told a woman had fallen into a backyard, handcuffed to metal exercise equipment. When officers arrived, they found a half‑naked woman chained to a punching‑bag stand. She was badly injured and her arms were locked behind her.
The police and the Austin Fire Department had to bring special cutting tools to free her from the restraints. While the officers were cutting the chain, five adults inside the house tried to leave but were caught and detained. Two children were also found living there; they were taken into Child Protective Services for safety.
Investigators say the woman was kept in the backyard for months. She tells police she had known one of the suspects, Michelle Garcia, but the group decided they no longer liked her. The victims were forced to live outside, stripped of clothes, beaten, and allowed only one meal a day. Michelle Garcia said she fed her one plate a day because she thought the woman had become “chunky,” but doctors say she was severely malnourished.
The woman reports that at night the day before she was discovered, her pants slipped off her, and she was “punished.” They said they would shoot her with a BB gun and then leave her half‑naked as punishment, even as temperatures dropped into the 40‑degree range. Experiments, a doctor’s check, and scans later showed a BB pellet lodged in her right eye and wounds and scars from the gunshot.
Police collected a statement from Juan Pablo Castro, who said he shot her with an electric‑rifle‑style BB gun because he didn’t want to touch her. Mache Carney and other defendants admitted they chased her around the yard with the BB gun, calling her “f—king hates her” and insisting they did not touch her. A four‑year‑old boy identified as Castro’s son said his father shot the woman whenever she was “bad,” while his mother, Carney, usually just watched.
All five suspects—Michelle Garcia (51), Crystal Garcia (21), Mache Carney (32), Juan Pablo Castro (30), and Maynard Lefevers (21)—have been arrested. They face charges of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to an elderly or disabled person, and unlawful restraint. They are all being held at the Travis County Jail on $305,000 bail.
The next court hearings are scheduled: Carney and Michelle Garcia will return on Nov. 18 and 21; Crystal Garcia, Castro, and Lefevers face court on Dec. 15. The case is still under investigation, and authorities continue to examine how long the victim was held and whether there were more victims.
Source: New York Post
Stay informed on all the latest news, real-time breaking news updates, and follow all the important headlines in world News on Latest NewsX. Follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter(X), Gettr and subscribe our Youtube Channel.
