Four men who range in age from 54 to 79 have been found in a Houston house where they were reportedly held for years in what police describe as a "prison room," according to the local ABC news station.
Someone called police Friday morning to report the captives. Officers found the front door nailed shut and the alleged victims held in a trash-ridden room with no beds or chairs.
One of the men said he'd been held there for 10 years, while another told police he'd been there about six months and had no desire to leave despite poor living conditions.
There were also three women found in the house who police believe are mentally ill, according to CNN. A fourth person who lives in the house is thought to be a suspect.
Three of the men who were found were in bad condition and couldn't walk.
Houston Police Sgt. J.W. McCoy told ABC 13: "One of them seemed to think he was picked up off the street and brought here. In exchange for beer and cigarettes and a place to stay, he had to turn over his Social Security check."
The Houston Chronicle reports that a woman whose mother lives in the neighborhood said one of the home's residents tells people that he gets the social security checks of the people staying in the house. The man apparently owns houses where he offers rooms for people who will give up their social security checks.
Last month, police alleged that a disabled mother and her young child had been held captive in an Ohio house for two years. The suspects allegedly stole her public assistance payments and government benefits card.
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