Landlord Checking Water Leak Finds Malnourished Woman Allegedly Held in Attic for Six Weeks

A Massachusetts landlord checking a water leak on Sunday found a malnourished woman who prosecutors say had been held in an unfinished attic for six weeks.

The woman was discovered at a multifamily property on Summer Street in Malden, Massachusetts, and prosecutors allege Jordende Pierre, 29, prevented her from leaving by removing the attic door handle.

They also accuse Pierre of kidnapping and sexually trafficking the woman after meeting her through a dating app. Pierre was arrested on Thursday and faces charges including trafficking a person for sexual servitude, kidnapping and indecent assault and battery.

Property owner Qing Sun and her husband went to the Summer Street building to trace a water leak. Sun lives elsewhere but manages the property's units. She said tenants initially prevented the couple from accessing certain rooms as they searched for the leak.

Woman Allegedly Held in Attic Found During Water Leak Check

Sun said she and her husband eventually reached the unfinished attic, where they found the woman and a man who ran past them. The couple then called 911, and police removed the woman from the property.

Prosecutors said the woman was found naked and malnourished on a mat in the attic. Middlesex County Assistant District Attorney Jacob McCrindle described her condition during a court appearance.

'She clearly had not eaten. She was dirty. She was living, essentially, in squalor in this attic area,' McCrindle said.

Authorities also said a five-gallon bucket containing urine was found near the woman. Prosecutors allege Pierre kept the woman from leaving by removing the attic door handle.

'The door handle in this attic area, it could be removed, and the defendant would remove that door handle so that she could not leave,' McCrindle said.

Sun said Pierre was not one of her tenants and that she had no knowledge of anyone living in the attic. 'This guy is not on the list. I'm not aware this guy is living there,' Sun said. 'And I'm not aware anybody living in the attic. Nobody's supposed to live there.'

Prosecutors Detail Allegations in Woman Held in Attic Case

According to prosecutors, Pierre met the woman through a dating app and brought her to the Malden property about six weeks before she was found.

Prosecutors said the woman had struggled with substance abuse and alleged she was given drugs while at the home. They also accuse Pierre of sexually assaulting her and forcing her to have sexual encounters with other men who visited the property.

'The defendant would arrange for those dates,' McCrindle said in court. Neighbours also described previous parties, loud music and unfamiliar visitors at the Summer Street property.

Neighbour Tarra Sewell said she had heard rumours about the house but never imagined allegations of this severity could emerge nearby. 'I would never, ever imagine something happening so close to my home. ... That's really, really scary,' Sewell said.

Neighbour Kirby Tang said he had heard nothing that alerted him to what prosecutors allege was happening nearby. 'I just feel sorry for her; like, she was 500 feet away, and we couldn't do anything,' Tang said. 'Because we didn't hear anything.'

Arrest Follows Discovery of Woman Allegedly Held in Attic

Pierre was arrested on Thursday during an operation involving Malden police, the FBI and US Marshals. He faces charges of trafficking a person for sexual servitude, kidnapping and indecent assault and battery on a person 14 or older.

Pierre is being held pending his next court hearing on 6 October. Sun said she was relieved to learn what had been happening at the property and expressed relief that the woman had been found.

'I'm very happy to be able to help this young girl get back to her family,' she said, adding that she is now checking the property nearly every week.

She said she hopes the case encourages others to pay closer attention to unusual activity around them. The case also raises questions about how landlords, tenants and authorities identify danger inside shared housing.

A landlord's visit over a leak is not an investigative operation, yet it became the moment that brought the alleged captivity to light.

Police have not publicly identified the other man seen in the attic, and the available account does not say whether any of the alleged visitors have been charged. It is therefore unclear how many people investigators may question as the case develops.