Teen escapes after allegedly being held captive for years and sexually abused in NJ home

GLOUCESTER TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- A couple is accused of holding a girl captive in their Gloucester Township, New Jersey, home and abusing her for years before she finally escaped.

The victim, now 18, told detectives that her mother and stepfather, identified as 38-year-old Brenda Spencer and 41-year-old Branndon Mosley, had been abusing her since approximately 2018.

Investigators say that was around the time the victim, then in the sixth grade, was removed from school and confined to her home in the Blackwood section of the township.

Shortly after that, she allegedly told police she was forced to live in a dog crate for approximately one year and was only let out periodically.

The victim went on to say she was also forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while being chained up, police said, but would be let out of the bathroom when family visited the home.

At other times, she told police she was held in a bare room with only a bucket, and the room had an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she tried to leave.

She also said she was being sexually abused by Mosley.

The victim finally escaped on Thursday, May 8, and was helped by a neighbor who spoke to Action News.

"She definitely had scars on her wrists from being chained up," he said.

The neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said he hadn't seen the girl in 11 years.

"She had her head shaved. She said for punishment, her mother would shave her head," he said.

Police say a search of the home found the child was living in squalid conditions alongside numerous dogs, chinchillas, and other animals.

Detectives learned that a 13-year-old who also lived in the home was removed from school years earlier. Both girls were allegedly homeschooled, police said.

Spencer and Mosley were arrested Sunday and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, criminal restraint and weapons offenses.

Mosley was also charged with multiple counts of sexual assault.