A Vestaburg, Pennsylvania, woman has been charged after she allegedly imprisoned her sister in a wooden cage, according to the state’s attorney general.
Leona Biser, 51, is accused of false imprisonment for keeping her sister, Loretta Lancaster, 53, in the cage with only a dirty mattress and little-to-no medical care, according to a press release from the office of Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
Biser has been charged with neglect of a care dependent person, abuse of a care dependent person, recklessly endangering another person, unlawful restraint, and false imprisonment, according to the release.
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The agents with the state’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations discovered Lancaster in a man-made cell in Biser’s living room, the release states.
“This defendant professed to be caring for her sister when, in fact, the home was in deplorable condition, had no running water, and the victim was not getting her prescribed medicines,” Shapiro said in a statement. “We fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves. And our agents have made sure the victim has received needed care and will no longer have to suffer daily living in a cage.”
Lancaster was transported to Monongahela Valley Hospital after she was discovered by authorities and treated for a urinary tract infection and Rhabdomyolysis, which is a breakdown of muscle that can be caused by infection, the release states.
Officials said that Lancaster’s condition has improved and she has begun to regain mobility.
Biser waived her right to a preliminary hearing during a court appearance on Friday, reports NBC affiliate WPXI. It was not immediately clear if Biser had an attorney.
