Violent Crime and Abuse

Prosecutors in Saginaw, Michigan have charged 48‑year‑old Tasha Beamon with vulnerable adult abuse and unlawful imprisonment after police say she kept her 58‑year‑old disabled sister‑in‑law locked in a basement for about two years, starving her and denying her water. The victim escaped on March 15 by forcing open a door and breaking a neighbor’s window to call 911; officers found a locked basement door, an old mattress, a radio blaring nonstop, and a 5‑gallon bucket of urine. Hospital staff who treated the woman for severe malnourishment told police she would likely die if she were discharged in that condition. Detective Sgt. Jeff Doud says investigators suspect Beamon held the woman captive to collect her disability payments, and Beamon allegedly admitted to keeping her in the house and preventing her from leaving. She was arrested April 2, is being held on $100,000 bond as a danger to the public, and is scheduled for a preliminary examination on April 20, a case that is already fueling online anger over how long extreme abuse of vulnerable adults can go on without intervention.