Two men and
three women are accused of keeping a 22-year-old autistic woman
outdoors with only a kennel-like crate as her shelter.
Tangipahoa
Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said in a statement Thursday that
investigators searched the house last week after a report of a woman in a
cage.
He said authorities found the woman in the back yard near the crate draped with a blue tarp.
Two men and
three women are accused of keeping a 22-year-old autistic woman
outdoors with only a kennel-like crate as her shelter. Couple, Terry
Knope (left) and Raylaine Knope (right) were arrested on charges of
human trafficking and cruelty to the infirm
Taylor
Knope (left), 18; Jody Lambert (center), 21; and Bridget Lambert
(right), 19, were also arrested on charges of human trafficking after
investigators discovered the five conspired to transport the young woman
to a specific location with the intention of prostituting her out to
multiple male subjects for money
Sheriff's spokeswoman Dawn Panepinto said investigators later learned the five planned to prostitute the woman.
Panepinto
said Terry Knope, 43; Raylaine Knope, 40; Taylor Knope, 18; Jody
Lambert, 21; and Bridget Lambert, 19, were arrested on charges of human
trafficking and cruelty to the infirm.
Investigators
discovered that the five accused conspired to transport the young woman
to a specific location with the intention of prostituting her out to
multiple male subjects for money, according to WDSU.
Raylaine and Terry Knope are married, according to their Facebook pages.
Investigators said the woman appeared
malnourished and often was locked in the crate at night to keep her from
wandering away. Raylaine Knope and her husband Terry are pictured
And Taylor Knope, who is the daughter of Terry, is the youngest of the five to be arrested.
Investigators said the woman appeared malnourished and often was locked in the crate at night to keep her from wandering away.
The Sheriff's Office said upon speaking with the woman, she appeared to suffer from numerous insect bites.
There
was also a five-gallon bucket in the cage where she was forced to
defecate, authorities said, as well as all of her belongings, according
to WDSU.
The 22-year-old's name is not being released at this time.
The
woman was turned over to the state Department of Health and Hospitals'
protective services, and four children living in the house were turned
over to the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services,
Panepinto said.
The Sheriff's Office said upon
speaking with the woman, she appeared to suffer from numerous insect
bites. Pictured is Bridget Lambert
There was also a five-gallon bucket in
the cage where she was forced to defecate, authorities said, as well as
all of her belongings. Pictured is Taylor Knope (pictured), who is the
daughter of Terry, is the youngest of the five to be arrested