Michele Knight, Missing Cleveland Woman Found But Who is the Forgotten Abductee? [VIDEO]
Among the three women found Monday locked up in the Cleveland, Ohio, home of suspected kidnapper Ariel Castro, Michele Knight has received the less amount of media attention.
Even when she disappeared in Cleveland in August of 2002, authorities did not make a big deal about it compared to the disappearance of Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus in the same Ohio area.
DeJesus and Berry were dubbed by local press as "two of Clevelands most famous missing persons," but not Knight. Even after the three women were found this week, photos of Knight have been scarely included in news reports and her pictures are at times missing in news segments.
"She was the focus of very few tips and leads that we got," Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba told reporters at a news conference Tuesday. "Most of the media and the community awareness was...generated toward the [other] two young girls."
ARIEL CASTRO FACEBOOK PHOTOS
It was believed that Knight had run away and had done so because she was upset that her son was removed from her custody. The suspicion might have been the reason why Knight was not listed as a Missing Person by the state of Ohio.
Knight was last seen at her cousin's house in West Cleveland just a couple of blocks from where Berry and DeJesus disappeared in 2003 and 2004 respectively, according to Herald Sun.
Castro was arraigned on kidnapping and rape charges Thursday morning. He was ordered by the judge to be held in lieu of $8 million bail, $2 million for each count. No plea was entered. His brothers were taken into custody with him by they were not charged Thursday.
A 6-year-old girl was also found in Castro's home, said to be Berry's daughter whom she gave birth to while in captivity. The women and child were rescued Monday after Berry managed to escape Castro's home, get the attention of a neighbor and call 911.