Four Elderly Men Held Captive in Houston Home
Four elderly homeless men were found
this morning being held against their will
in "deplorable conditions" at a Houston
home, police said, alleging that the men
were victims of a scheme to cash their
government assistance checks.
Following a call to conduct a welfare
check on the home in North Houston,
police found the men, aged 50, 65, 74
and 80. All of them were malnourished
and detained in the home's garage, said
Houston Police spokesman Kese Smith.
The length each man had been in the
house had not been determined, but one
man indicated he may have been there for
as many as 10 years, Smith said.
In addition to the four men, Smith said,
police also found four women in the
home, all of whom appeared to be
"mentally ill." The circumstances under
which the women were living in the
house were presently unknown, Smith
said.
Police were called to
the home at 8:25
a.m. and found the
men living in filth and
"severely
malnourished."
All four men were
taken to a nearby
hospital, and adult
protective services
was called.
"All four men said
they had been lured
by the promise of
beer and cigarettes
and were not allowed
to leave," Smith said.
"They were forced to
sign over their
veteran's checks and
other checks."
One person was
taken in for
questioning, but no
arrests have been
made or charges
pressed, Smith said.
