Report: Investigators Took 3 Months To Rescue Local Woman Allegedly Living In Cage
VESTABURG, Pa. (KDKA) - A new report says it took investigators three months to rescue a local woman who was allegedly being forced to live in a cage.
The Observer-Reporter says Adult Protective Services started looking into the case in Vestaburg, Washington County back in August.
Local lawmakers now want to know why it took so long for the case to move forward.
Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, is accused of locking her sister in a wooden cage with a dirty mattress and little-to-no medical care.
Investigators say Biser kept her sister in a "man-made cell" that sat in the living room of their home on Sixth Street in Vestaburg.
Officials responded to the home in November 2019 and found 53-year-old Loretta Lancaster in the cage kneeling alongside a baby's bottle and the dirty mattress.
The authorities said they found dog feces on the kitchen floor and in the living room.
The home had no running water, and Lancaster was not receiving her prescribed medication.
Lancaster was transported to the hospital, suffering from a urinary tract infection and rhabdomyolysis.
Doctors told police her body was covered in wounds and warts.
Officials say Lancaster's condition has improved while at Monongahela Valley Hospital. She's regained some mobility and she is working with a speech therapist.
KDKA spoke to a nephew who lives nearby.
He said didn't know anything about what was happening, but he feels his aunt didn't want to put her sister in an assisted living facility for fear she would be neglected because of her significant health issues.
Biser has been charged with abuse of a dependent person, unlawful restraint and several other charges.
