Michelle Knight went missing at age 20 in 2002, Amanda Berry at age 17 in 2003, Gina DeJesus at 14 in 2004. All were last seen on the same street – Lorain Avenue – just a few blocks apart, along a stretch from West 105th-110th street.
Roughly a decade after their disappearances, the three women, now 27, 23, and 30 – along with a 6-year old child – were discovered in Cleveland, Ohio.
The path to their freedom started when a neighbor, Charles Ramsey, heard a strange noise.
“I heard screaming… And I see this girl going nuts trying to get outside,” said Ramsey. “I go on the porch and she said: ‘Help me get out. I’ve been here a long time.’ I figure it was domestic violence dispute.”
He helped kick the door down for Amanda Berry to escape. He could tell there was a problem just by the panic that was on her face. He candidly told a reporter.
“I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway. Dead giveaway. Dead giveaway. Cause either she’s homeless or she got problems. That’s the only reason why she’d run to a black man.”
Ramsey said about what happened next. “She comes out with a little girl and says: ‘Call 911, my name is Amanda Berry’… When she told me, it didn’t register.”
He promptly called 911, briefed the operator on the situation, gave the address for the site of the crime: 2207 Seymour Ave. The operator asked if Berry needed an ambulance. Ramsey responded.
“She need an ambulance, or what? She needs everything. She’s, uh, she’s is in a panic. I guess she’s been kidnapped, so you know, put yourself in her shoes.”
It’s hard to say that anyone in Charles Ramsey’s shoes would have acted in the same way.
That anyone who heard screams and saw what appeared to be a woman in distress in her own house would venture into her yard and kick the door down to let her out. And draw others to help bust open the door.
Many facing the same situation would simply say ‘that’s not my business’, wash their hands of the crazy woman down the street, and walk away. But because Ramsey took action, the women are free today.
There are certainly monsters of the world, kidnappers like Ariel Castro. (The police found chains and rope in the basement where he held the women captive.)
But in spite of the villains, let us give thanks for the good Samaritans like Charles Ramsey.
