Woman 'held captive for 5 years' is rescued after being found in suspected kidnapper’s garage by police

A man from Texas has been arrested for kidnapping and holding a woman hostage after allegedly holding her captive for five years.

Lee Carter, 52, is accused of snatching the approximately 30-year-old woman off the street when she was pregnant.

As a result, the Houston-based rapper - who performs under the stage name Viper - has been charged with aggravated kidnapping, after police discovered the victim locked in a garage attached to his home.

As per court documents obtained by the Houston Chronicle, the alleged victim told officials that she was kidnapped by the rapper while panhandling.

The woman claims she was forced to live in the garage for four to five years where she says she was repeatedly sexually assaulted by Carter, as per court documents.

"Defendant [Carter] would force her to take pills along with crack cocaine and other illegal narcotics, causing her to become physically unable to leave the location," the court documents added.

Fox

The woman claims she previously tried to escape the garage by breaking one of the windows and crawling out.

However, after she was taken to the hospital, she says Carter picked her up from there and took her back into the garage to be held captive.

He allegedly boarded up the windows so that the victim could not escape for a second time.

It remains unclear what happened to the victim's pregnancy while she was being held in the garage.

Officers from the Houston Police Department were dispatched to 5251 Perry Street in Houston on 7 April, 2023, due to a kidnapping in progress when they heard a voice coming from the garage.

They found the victim, who was described as weighing 'approximately 70 pounds with a pungent stench', while wearing 'filthy, dirty' clothes and having 'crusty' hair.

On top of that, the garage contained a 'makeshift toilet', a dripping faucet, pile of diapers, as well as a bag of chips and Twinkies.

Harris County

A warrant was filed against Carter in April, but an arrest did not happen until Friday (5 January), according to Fox News.

Police returned to the property for a welfare check last week following a tip the woman still might be in the garage, despite having escaped in April.

Video footage released from Fox 26 shows officers breaking into the window of the garage where the woman is believed to have been held.

The woman wasn't there, but officials found a dog, which was rescued from the property.

Carter was arrested at a motel and is now being held in Harris County Jail on a $100,000 bond.

Police have said they're unsure where the woman who claims she was held captive is now.