The son of Cleveland kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro has spoken to the Daily Mail and says his father beat him and kept the doors to the basement, attic, and garage padlocked.
The British newspaper has photos of Castro posing in front of the doors, with locks visible. Castro, 52, has been arrested in connection with the case of three previously missing women who escaped from his house Monday.
Anthony Castro, 31, told the Daily Mail that his father asked him a few weeks ago whether he thought anyone would ever find Amanda Berry. "The house was always locked," he told the Daily Mail in an exclusive interview. "There were places we could never go."
"I haven't been at that house for longer than 20 minutes for longer than I can remember," he said. "And we’re talking since high school. Late 90s."
Anthony, who is now a banker in Columbus, Ohio, did not have frequent contact with his father. His parents separated in the 1990s, and Ariel's ex-wife accused him of domestic violence.
Ariel was violent and controlling, according to Anthony, and almost beat his mother to death in 1993 as she recovered from brain surgery. Ariel was arrested for domestic violence in 1993, but a grand jury declined to indict him.
"Having that relationship with my dad all these years when we lived in a house where there was domestic violence and I was beaten as well ... we never were really close because of that and it was also something we never really talked about," he said.
Ariel's two brothers were also arrested in the case. Anthony said they were the two people closest to Ariel and likely knew what was going on or aided in hiding the three women.
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