Woman Found Chained to Bed Says She Was Held Captive for Two Years in North Dakota

A woman who was allegedly held against her will and chained to a bed for two years has been rescued from an apartment in Fargo, North Dakota, following a routine maintenance call on 3 November 2026.

Police arrested two suspects, 40-year-old Arturo Calzada-Becerril of Fargo and 41-year-old Erendira Amoles of Moorhead, Minnesota, in connection with the incident at the Osgood Townsite Apartment complex.

Both suspects were initially arrested on suspicion of felonious restraint involving an adult victim, according to Fargo police. Subsequent court records reviewed by PEOPLE listed kidnapping-terrorize-adult victim charges against both defendants.

Calzada-Becerril also faces a domestic violence-bodily injury charge, while Amoles faces a simple assault charge. Both pleaded not guilty to their respective assault-related charges, while no pleas to the kidnapping-related counts were listed in the records reviewed by PEOPLE.

Rescue During Routine Maintenance

The investigation began after a maintenance worker heard cries for help during a routine visit, entered the Fargo apartment and found the woman chained to a bed, prompting a call to police.

An officer wrote that the woman had a 'padlock secured around her right ankle with the other end of the chain secured to the bed'.

Officers also found tin foil covering the windows and a security camera pointed at the bed. Police freed the victim and interviewed her via the Language Link translation service before taking her to a hospital.

Suspects and Charges

Arturo Calzada-Becerril, 40, and Erendira Amoles, 41, were arrested on 3 November with assistance from US Border Patrol. Both subsequently appeared in court facing kidnapping-related charges.

During their first court appearance on 6 November, prosecutors alleged that the defendants had confined the woman in an attempt to obtain immigration status. Prosecutors identified the victim as a US citizen and said both defendants could face deportation.

However, the available court reporting did not explain the specific immigration arrangement the defendants allegedly sought.

During police interviews, Calzada-Becerril reportedly told investigators he had locked the woman up so she would not run away. Both defendants also claimed the woman had assaulted them, including an alleged incident in which she approached them with a knife. Amoles reportedly acknowledged that she regularly locked the woman up.

Allegations of Prolonged Captivity and Abuse

During hospital interviews, the woman told investigators that Calzada-Becerril brought her from Mexico to Fargo in 2024 and had prevented her from leaving the apartment for approximately two years. She said she had initially been allowed out of the bedroom occasionally, but that this eventually stopped.

According to court filings, Calzada-Becerril brought her food twice daily and forced her to use a bucket inside the bedroom as a toilet.

The woman also told investigators that both defendants had beaten and sexually assaulted her. Investigators documented bruising on her face and body. No sexual-offence charges against either defendant had been reported as of 9 November.

Shortly after the woman was taken to hospital, Amoles arrived at the apartment with her eight-year-old daughter. Calzada-Becerril told police that he, Amoles and the woman were from the same Mexican town and claimed he restrained her to prevent escape.