Woman, child held captive with snakes, pitbulls

US : A mentally disabled woman and her daughter were forced to live in an Ohio basement with snakes and pitbulls and were treated like slaves for more than two years, US prosecutors said Tuesday.

The case came to light after the woman was caught stealing a candy bar and told police she'd rather go to jail than go home because her roommates "were mean to her." Three of her tormentors were arrested on human trafficking charges after a lengthy investigation.

"We are yet again reminded that modern-day slavery exists all around us," said Steven Dettelbach, US Attorney for the northern district of Ohio.

The woman and her daughter were initially forced to sleep on a cement floor in a locked basement room that also housed a roaming iguana.

They were repeatedly beaten, threatened with the pit bulls and the snakes and watched with a baby monitor to make sure the woman wouldn't untie her daughter's bound hands or sneak some food or water to the girl.

AFP