Here's a story of a 9-year-old kid who was kidnapped in a basement cellar where she didn't eat for 17 days but still survived.
Katie Beers was born in Bay Shore, New York on Dec 30, 1980, but her childhood was very painful. Katie’s mothers’ s friend Linda Inghilleri used to help Katie out sometimes and one day when she was 9 years old her mother left her unattended and went outside. Linda helped her pick Katie up and took her to her home.
Linda always treated Katie badly. She used to treat her like a maid and used to make her do all the household chores. She used to get beaten by Linda very often and she was not supposed o leave the house or go to school. She used to watch her neighbours play from the balcony and window and used to think that she is playing too.
Linda’s husband used to abuse her but still, Katie anyhow tried to pass her day at Linda’s place. Salvatore, Linda’s husband never behaved well with Katie as well. Katie was getting sexually abused since she was two years old but had no clue. She was scared of him so she never told anyone about the situation she was suffering from. She had no other option but to stay with them and Salvatore took advantage of her several times while she stayed at their place.
Katie finally gathered some courage and she went and told Linda about Salvatore but Linda denied all acquisitions and told her that “my husband would never do such a thing.” Katie later tried talking to her neighbours about it. Katie used to stay very scared at their house and never got the chance to share her problems with anyone.
After a while, she met John Esposito. John was Linda’s and Salvatore’s neighbour and he used to visit them frequently. He used to bring Katie chocolates or gifts often. Katie found some comfort in him so she told him about everything that has been going on earlier but she had no clue that it will stab her back.
According to Daily Mail, on 28 December 1992, Linda kicked Katie out of her house for some unknown reason and since Katie didn’t know anyone except John, she ran to his place. She started weeping poorly in front of him. Then John tried comforting her and distracting her from what was happening. He asked Katie what she wants to do on her birthday which was coming after 2 days. Katie got excited and told him that she likes to visit the fair Spaceplex.
John took her to Spaceplex where Katie enjoyed her freedom and had a great time. By the time it got dark John brought Katie to his place. That’s where Katie’s traumatic incident began. Linda got a phone call from Katie and she told Linda that she is kidnapped before she could ask her for more details the call gets disconnected.
Linda go extremely shocked and she ran to her husband Salvatore and told him about it. They both went to the police station to file a kidnapping complaint. The police started investigating. They found out that Katie was last seen at Spaceplex and they searched every corner of the fair but found nothing.
When the cops asked in the neighbourhood they found out that Katie never talked to them because of Linda. Linda never let her know the neighbourhood. The neighbours informed the police that only three people in the whole neighbourhood knew about Katie and those were Linda, Salvatore and John. Police made them prime suspects of kidnapping.
Police started asking questions to the three of them but got no lead. Police started to search their house. After searching John’s house police found several small cellars inside the house. One of the cellars was in the basement of John’s house. Its width was only 2 feet from the top and it was 17 feet deep. This cellar was slightly wider from the inside. That’s where John hid Katie.
The amazing thing was that this basement was made absolutely soundproof. So that the noise inside does not go outside and the noise outside does not go inside. Inside this, John had also kept the TV. When John kept Katie in this basement, he closed it from the top and placed a 150 kg stone on top of it so that Katie could not come out of it under any circumstances.
Police were unable to find the basement cellar when they searched his house. John had put the stone very cleverly so none could find anything. Police continued their investigation. Katie’s missing was out in the public through the media. Meanwhile, Katie was suffering inside without food and water. But she didn’t give up hope and kept on quenching her thirst by squeezing the soil of the cellar drop by drop. When hungry, she would eat only the soil.
Police got some information about how John’s behaviour is unusual. Police had their eyes on John for a while now. John got worried that the truth might come out so he went into the basement and asked Katie to act like she is dead so that he can take a picture of her and circulate it around. But Katie denied doing that.
Katie had strong feelings that the police would find her somehow. Katie got really weak after not eating for 5 days. To escape from there Katie had a plan now. She decided that she would try to mind-wash John and decided to pretend that she is happy inside. She suggested John get married because if she gets caught he will land in trouble.
Somehow this idea got into John’s head and he offered her food but she denied to eat because she thought there is poison in the food and John might try to kill her.
Now an officer named Detective Aaron started solving this case with the team. Aaron was quite sure in this case that it may or may not be the work of some person from the house who knew her well. The police came to know that when Katie got kidnapped Linda and Salvatore were at their house so they are not involved in the case.
The police got even more suspicious towards John now. He was the last person Katie saw before she got kidnapped. But the police had no proper clue about him.
The case started taking bigger turns when the police found out that john tried to kidnap a 7-year-old kid from a shopping mall 6 years back. But the police caught him red-handed that time.
Police tried to search a lot but they couldn’t find any answer or any lead that would take them to Katie. After a while, they even started to think that she is dead. But luckily Katie’s mind game worked on John and he started to think that he should get married if Katie dies his life would be spoiled and no one will marry him after.
After 17 days John went to his lawyer and told him that Katie is with him. The lawyer took him to the police station and told them that John has kidnapped Katie and she is locked inside the cellar. She might have died. Police ran to search the place and found her very weak wondering how she survived without food and water for so long.
Katie was taken to the hospital and doctors informed officers that she has become a victim of starvation because of not eating anything. Rest she was fine and her treatment was continued.
Later a couple legally adopted her and they made sure John gets the punishment he deserves. John was sentenced to jail for 15 years. Later in 2013, John was found dead.
According to the New York Post, Katie Beers gave an interview after 20 years and was happy that others go punished for what they did to her. She explained how much important it is to have courage within yourself. Katie has also written a book 'Buried Memories: Katie Beers' on this story. Now she is married and she is living her life happily with her husband and two children.
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 "Kept in basement, survived 17 days without food, water: Chilling facts about 9-year-old Katie Beers' kidnapping")
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