Woman Found Chained, Shot and Starved in Austin Backyard

In South Austin on October 30, police responded to a 911 call about a woman screaming for help. When officers arrived, they found her chained to a heavy metal exercise stand outside a residence at around 9:09 a.m. The woman was shackled, naked from the waist down, visibly injured, and described months of captivity by five people she had once considered friends.

Discovery of Horrific Captivity

She told officers she had been forced to live outdoors, punished for trying to leave, and allowed only one meal a day. Medical staff later found open wounds, missing tissue from her hands and feet, swelling and scarring from BB gun shots, and a BB lodged in her right eye.

Arrests and Charges

Five adults have been arrested in connection with the case. The accused include 51-year-old Michelle Garcia, 21-year-old Crystal Garcia, 32-year-old Mache Carney, 30-year-old Juan Pablo Castro, and 21-year-old Maynard Lefevers.

They face serious charges, including aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to a disabled person, and unlawful restraint. Bail for each has been set at $305,000, and investigators continue to unpack how long the captivity lasted and how other children in the home were involved or affected.

Victim’s Account and Home Environment

According to her statements, the victim had been friends with the household for years, but at some point, the group “decided they didn’t like her anymore” and began treating her as a captive rather than a guest.

Police say the woman was kept handcuffed to the stand for weeks, sometimes with wrists behind her back, forced to sleep outside without a proper shelter, and shot with a BB gun as “punishment” when she tried to leave. One child in the home told investigators the gunshots were a regular occurrence, directed by the child’s father, while the mother figure watched.

Three young children found in the home were removed by Child Protective Services and placed in safer care.

Why This Case Matters

This incident shines a harsh light on extreme instances of abuse and exploitation that often go unseen until someone cries for help. It raises urgent questions about how adults can be preyed upon in isolated circumstances, and how children in the household are exposed to traumatic events that may shape their lives forever.

It also surfaces the complexities of relational harm—when “friends” become captors, when trust is weaponised, and when victims may feel trapped by familiarity rather than formal threats. For the Austin community and beyond, it’s a grim reminder: captivity is not only in secluded compounds or horror films—it can happen quietly in suburban backyards.

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