Teen escapes NJ home where she was locked in dog crate, abused by couple for years, police say
Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, are accused of holding a teen girl captive and abusing her for years inside their New Jersey home.
A teenager escaped from a New Jersey home where, officials said, she endured "heinous, years-long torture," as she was allegedly kept chained up and locked in a dog crate by a couple that abused her for several years.
Brenda Spencer, 38, and Branndon Mosley, 41, both of Gloucester Township, were arrested and charged with kidnapping, aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child and other offenses.
Additionally, Mosley -- who was a regional rail conductor with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority -- was also charged with sexual assault and other offenses.
An 18-year-old woman told police she escaped from the couple's home, along the 300 block of Ridge Avenue in Blackwood in Gloucester Township, with help from a neighbor on May 8, 2025, after being held captive at the residence since 2018.
The woman told investigators that the abuse began in 2018 when she was in sixth grade and Spencer removed her from her school.
Following her removal from school, the victim told investigators she was "forced to live in a dog crate for approximately one year and was let out periodically," according to the Camden County Prosecutor's Office.
She was also forced to live in a padlocked bathroom while she was chained up, officials claim. Investigators who interviewed the victim said she still had scars on her wrists, according to the criminal complaint.
Other times, police claim, the victim was forced to live in a bare room where she had to use a bucket instead of a toilet.
This room was rigged with an alarm system that would alert Spencer and Mosley if she attempted to escape, investigators said.
During her captivity, the woman said she was beaten with a belt and was sexually abused by Mosley, according to officials.
According to court documents, on at least one occasion, the victim claimed Mosley withheld food from her, while she was chained up with her hands behind her back, until after he sexually abused her.
In a search of the property where the woman claimed she was held captive, officials said, investigators "found that the victim was subjected to living in squalid conditions alongside numerous dogs, chinchillas, and other animals."
A 13-year-old girl who was living at the home was also removed by law enforcement officials, police said.
Officials also said they met the victim at a Wawa located along the 800 block of Black Horse Pike, in Blackwood, NJ, shortly after she escaped the home.
Both Spencer and Mosley were apprehended at their home on May 11, 2025, and are in police custody at the Camden County Correctional Facility pending detention hearings.