by - Police freed Rosinalva da Silva from the Espírito Santo home in Brazil, where her mother kept her imprisoned for 20 years
- The 39-year-old woman was found with her feet and hands tied after police searched the home on Thursday
- Authorities arrested the mother and a man; They said da Silva was locked in the house because she was struggling with mental illness from the loss of her two children
A disheveled woman has been rescued by police after being held captive in a dingy metal cell at her mother’s home for 20 years.
Rosinalva da Silva, 39, was found Thursday in Espírito Santo, Brazil, with her feet and hands tied in a darkened bedroom.
Her mother, whose name was not released, was under the influence of alcohol when police searched the home and arrested her, civilian police chief Carlos Braga told Brazil’s G1 news agency.
A man, whose name has not been released to the public, was also taken into custody.
Footage of the rescue showed police officers entering the apartment, which was in a deplorable state, going through a metal cell door and locating da Silva in a room where the only light came through a glass window.
Da Silva was then escorted out of the house while holding the chain that kept her from escaping for two decades.
Authorities said da Silva was dehydrated and hungry when they discovered she had been hiding in the makeshift cell.
Paramedics took her to the regional hospital, where she is still being monitored and treated for severe malnutrition.
Da Silva’s mother reportedly kept her locked inside in response to the mental illness she struggled with after losing two children years ago.
Police said the mother chained da Silva and locked him in the room because it was “the only way” to deal with her aggressiveness.
Authorities are still investigating the incident to determine if other people were involved.
