A woman was rescued after months of alleged torture and captivity in the backyard of a home in Austin, Texas, where she was found half-naked and chained to a metal exercise machine, according to local authorities.

The Austin Police Department responded to a 911 call around At 9:00 a.m. on October 30, after a neighbor reported hearing a woman screaming for help. Upon arriving at the scene, officers found the victim naked from the waist down, handcuffed, and chained to a boxing stand. Due to the strength of the material, the Fire Department had to cut the chains. “The woman showed clear signs of physical suffering and injuries consistent with prolonged restraint,” police said in a statement. Five adults arrested and two minors rescued. While first responders worked to free the victim, five adults attempted to flee the residence but were immediately apprehended. The suspects were identified as Michelle Garcia (51), Crystal Garcia (21), Mache Carney (32), Juan Pablo Castro (30), and Maynard Lefevers (21). Inside the house, two young children were also found and taken into the custody of Child Protective Services. According to the affidavit cited by the Austin American-Statesman, the victim stated that she had been friends with Michelle Garcia, but recounted that the group “decided they didn’t like her anymore” and held her captive for months. Beatings, Malnutrition, and Shots with Pellet Guns: The woman stated that she was forced to live outdoors and received only one meal a day. Investigators reported that she had open wounds, tissue loss on her hands and feet, pellet wounds, and severe facial trauma. According to the police report, the night before her rescue, her pants fell down, and she was punished: she was shot with a pellet gun.She was handcuffed to a metal structure and left outside half-naked as temperatures dropped to 4°C (40°F).

Hospital doctors determined her injuries were consistent with weeks of torture and that she had a pellet lodged in her right eye.

Castro reportedly confessed to shooting the victim with a compressed air stun gun because “she didn’t want to touch her,” and a four-year-old boy, identified as his son, stated that “Daddy shot him when he misbehaved.”

They face multiple charges and high bail

The five detainees were charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to a vulnerable person, and unlawful imprisonment. They remain in the Travis County Jail on bail of $305,000 each.

Court hearings are scheduled between November and December, while the case remains under investigation.