The Prison Next Door

In Cleveland, a house of horror hidden in plain sight

By David Von Drehle Monday, May 20, 2013

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    And the human heart can be as mysterious as a darkened home. Castro's own son Anthony, who grew up with his mother after his parents split, told a reporter that he saw "locks on the basement, locks on the attic, locks on the garage" in his father's house. And yet, though he knew his father to be capable of violence, he couldn't imagine what was on the other side of those doors. Castro's daughter Arlene was a close friend of Gina DeJesus, yet she never guessed that her vanished friend was trapped in her father's house.

    But Cleveland also learned something about the unassuming dishwasher Charles Ramsey, who heard a cry for help and ran toward it. He had no idea what he was going to find: "Bro, not a clue," he told the TV cameras. And yet he went. This too was a revelation.

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