A DAD has been arrested after allegedly keeping his wife and seven children captive in a crumbling house for two decades.
The 52-year-old allegedly raped them repeatedly, forced abortions, and buried the foetuses in the family’s garden.
The horrifying ordeal unfolded in the small town of Novo Oriente, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Authorities were alerted after one of the man’s daughters, in a desperate bid for freedom, drugged him with sleeping pills and managed to escape.
She reported the alleged abuse to police, who conducted a month-long investigation before storming the property.
Police uncovered three buried foetuses in the garden, with one nearly full-term at eight months old.
The man’s wife, reportedly 40, claims that she has endured this nightmare since she was just 17.
Allegedly forced to undergo three abortions, she said she had no choice but to live in fear.
Investigators discovered that one of the daughters also survived a harrowing failed abortion when her six-month-old foetus was rescued by a midwife.
Despite the child’s poor health, the father allegedly refused any medical help.
Seven children, aged three to 22, were rescued, and the investigation revealed further horrors.
Police say the suspect had sexually abused not only his daughters but also his late mother-in-law.
He also reportedly drilled holes in the walls to spy on his daughters as they dressed and bathed.
The unnamed man is now in preventive custody, charged with false imprisonment, rape, psychological violence, abortion, and concealing corpses.
The victims have been relocated to a different state for their protection.
Police spokesperson Herika Ribeiro Sena said the wife, now safe, was only ever allowed to leave the house to receive benefits, often under the suspect’s watchful eye.
“None of the neighbours knew her, not even relatives had access to her,” Sena said.
The investigation continues as authorities piece together the full extent of the horror.
