Fact vs. Fiction in Cleveland: How a Sick Story Became Too Sick to Be True
DASHIELL BENNETT MAY 9, 2013
Amidst the initial frenzy surrounding the discovery of three missing women in an Ohio home this week, there were reports that Cleveland police somehow botched possible tips that could have led them to the women years earlier. But the authorities have been sticking to their story, and now that the perpetrator is behind bars and the women are home, the swirling—and perhaps invented—accusations of negligence are spinning back toward reality.
Ariel Castro was arraigned on kidnapping and rape charges Thursday, but police also released his two brothers who were arrested at the same—and who have now been cleared of any wrongdoing. Cleveland police insist that Ariel was the only one involved in the crime. They also claim that, despite some reports to the contrary, the women were never allowed out of the house and no citizens ever called to report suspicions.
So what about those witnesses who said they saw naked women being paraded around on leashes, and strange noises coming from the house and odd faces staring at them through windows? Were those people lying? Not necessarily, but from what we've learned so far it seems that reports of missed opportunities by the authorities are probably not true.
The most damning claims of police negligence all came from one story, a USA Today report published on Tuesday. While it wasn't the focus of the story, it did include testimony from neighbors who said they reported suspicious behavior to police—including "naked women on leashes crawling on all fours"—but the police did not take their claims seriously.
full article
http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/05/cleveland-fact-vs-fiction/65066/
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