A 33-year-old homeless woman was rescued from sexual slavery in Soest, Germany, according to German broadcaster WDR.
In November 2025, a man noticed a partially undressed woman on a neighboring balcony, handcuffed to a wooden beam. He initially assumed someone had simply left up a Halloween decoration, but on closer inspection he called police.
The woman was freed and rushed to hospital. Doctors diagnosed her with near-fatal hypothermia along with multiple bruises and wounds, and she spent several months in the hospital.
How the captivity began
According to WDR, the woman was taken captive in July 2025. Four residents of Soest, two minors aged 16 and 17 and two adults aged 24 and 29, promised her food and shelter before systematically torturing her. Investigators said the woman was held in a basement like a slave and that things were done to her that were unimaginable, and even worse, leading to permanent disfigurement.
Abuse and Stockholm syndrome
The captive was regularly beaten, handcuffed to a heating pipe, forced to eat excrement and raped, while her captors filmed the abuse. Neighbors never heard her screams, even when she hung on the balcony for hours, and investigators believe she was drugged.
Investigators also noted the woman had developed Stockholm syndrome, becoming attached to her captors and fearing she would not survive winter outside their home.
The two adult men have been detained, while the minors remain free. Their trial is set to begin in October.
