Cleveland Abductions ~ The Cruel Actions of Ariel Castro Part 1.

Hi Everyone. I apologize for not having any entries for a little while; but as you know, sometimes life gets in the way... 

I am back with a case that really shook several communities. I don't want to say the world, but the books and movies that came from it, sure did!!! I know, I myself, was shook.

I am just going to dive into the case beginning with the perpetrator, as it really is all because of his sadistic and sinister ways that caused over a decade long, unfathomable tale to wrap our minds around.

His name is Ariel Castro and he was born July 10, 1960 in Duey, Yauco, Puerto Rico. He is the son of Pedro Castro and Lillian Rodriguez. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he moved to Pennsylvannia,USA; with his mother and 3 siblings. It wasn't long before his mother uprooted him and his siblings all moving to Cleveland, Ohio where along with his father, many family members had moved as well.

It appeared that Ariel Castro didn't have the peaceful and loving family that would've been the American dream for most. His parents split and he ended up having a total of 9 siblings. He was not uneducated, for his time, he went to school and even graduated from Cleveland's Lincoln-West High School in 1979. So this beg's the question...

Where did things go all wrong??? I am about to tell you.

Castro met his girlfriend, Grimilda Figueroa, when his family uprooted and moved again; this time right across the street from the Figueroa family in the 1980s. As the lovebirds were both living with their parents at the time, they decided to move into their own home, (2207 Seymour Avenue). According to Figueroa's sister, Elida Caraballo, this is where all the troubles started; claiming Castro beat Figueroa, broke her nose, ribs, and arms. Beating Grimilda so bad that it caused an inoperable blood tumour on her brain. He also threw her down a flight of stairs, cracking her skull.

In 1993, Castro was arrested for domestic violence (DV), but was not indicted by a grand jury. But even back in that time, with all the evidence, it seemed the courts still rather push the abuse under the rug and ignore the situation at hand.

In 1996, Grimilda Figueroa moved out of the house and obtained full custody of their 4 children. Police assisted in the move and detained Castro, but they did not press charges. (Imagine all the lives.. the pain... the anguish the courts and police could have saved, if they would've acknowledged how evil Ariel Castro really was!!!) For the next 10 years, Grimilda was subjected to threats and physical assaults; as well as Castro regularly breaching court orders and abducting their children. 

Charges were filed in 2005 AGAIN and the court granted her a temporary restraining order (Honestly, what is a piece of paper going to do against a deranged, abuser... a repeat offender, even?!!) The order was dismissed mere months later and Grimilda Figueroa passed away in 2012 from her brain tumour. 

There are many other illegal acts he committed before he was finally arrested for the activities I am going to write about; they do NOT pertain to this blog, but it shows what his character is like.

Ariel Castro very easily kidnapped his victims, by offering them a ride. Each of them were more than willing to go, but instead of taking them to their destination, he drove them to his house on Seymour Avenue; lured them into the basement, confined and restrained them, some of them to never been seen for over 10 years!!!

I am going to write the next section about the victims, who they were, etc.

To be continued....