A North Dakota woman was chained to her bed for two terrifying years — beaten and sexually assaulted — until a maintenance worker heard her cries for help Tuesday, police said.
Officers responding to a Fargo apartment complex found the woman anchored to a bedframe by a heavy chain and padlock around her right ankle, court documents obtained by WCAX state. A building repairman had reported hearing muffled screams coming from the unit, prompting management to call 911.
The victim was rushed to the hospital and reportedly said that she was sexually assaulted and beaten by her ex-husband, 40-year-old Arturo Calzada Becerril — who reported wanted to use her to help his immigration status — and his girlfriend, 41-year-old Erendira Amoles.
Speaking through a translation app, the victim explained that Calzada Becerril brought her from Mexico in 2024 and kept her trapped inside for years — with a security camera pointed at her bed and her bedroom windows covered in tin foil, according to Valley News Live.
She was fed just twice a day and forced to relieve herself in a bucket next to the bed.
Amoles returned to the apartment with her 8-year-old daughter shortly after authorities discovered the victim.
All three adults are from the same town in Mexico, Calzada Becerril told police.
Court documents say that Calzada Becerril kept the woman locked up so that “she did not run away” because she was addicted to drugs and he did not want her to start using again, Inforum reported.
“The chains on the headboard appeared secured together with large bolts, washers, and nuts,” an investigative report viewed by Inforum read.
“The chain was wrapped around the headboard and sheathed in a foam pool noodle. The chains at the head and the foot of the bed both had Master Lock brand padlocks on them.”
She was found with bruising to her arms, legs and face. The victim said she had been punched as well, causing a scar on her forehead.
She also police that at one point Calzada Becerril and Amoles allegedly pinned her down, beat and sexually assaulted her.
Prosecutors claim that Calzada Becerril and Amoles kept the woman — an American citizen — captive to obtain immigration status, according to Valley News Live.
Amoles was usually the person who handled the victim and unlocked her from the bedframe, court documents say.
Neighbors were flabbergasted by what police discovered, with residents expressing disbelief that such an ordeal occurred right in their building despite regular security patrols.
“We have security coming through from like 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. every single night,” Erin Schauer, who lives in the building, told Valley News Live.
“They stop in the hallways, they walk through every single building, they drive around,” she continued.
“That is really scary. You hear about that all the time on the news, but the fact that it was literally right over there.”
Reed Bertsch, another neighbor, said that he was worried about crime in the building, but it was “unbelievable” nobody noticed the captive woman.
“It’s unbelievable. I just can’t believe no one heard it, or you know, had any suspicion of something like that going on,” he said.
“It’s usually a little quaint place to live, but Fargo is getting crazy.”
Calzada Becerril and Amoles were arrested on kidnapping and assault charges.
They were booked at the Cass County Jail and arraigned on Friday morning, Inforum reported.
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