Source: Horror Victims Abused 11 Years

PHILADELPHIA - Fox 29 has learned Philadelphia horror house suspect Linda Weston might have abused as many as four mentally challenged people for 11 years.

Slideshow: Images From The Scene | Mugshots Of Suspects

Weston and two others face numerous charges after the four people were found in a sub-basement in a Northeast Philadelphia house on Saturday. Some were reportedly in chains.

Fox 29's Dave Kinchen says his source believes suspect Linda Ann Weston abused the four mentally challenged people for the 11-year period, holding them as hostages and allegedly stealing their social security checks.

And what is more disturbing is that sources say at least two of the victims know the suspect as “mom.”

Police say Weston is the lead suspect in the case where the victims were chained and held captive.

Weston, 51, Thomas Gregory, 47, both with addresses on the 2500 block of N. 29th Street, and Eddie Wright, 50, homeless, are all facing charges of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and other related charges, according to police.

Police have said Saturday night their investigation has initially determined Weston may have been orchestrating the scheme, and she had relatives living in the Longshore Avenue home, which is how she had access to the basement.

The disturbing discovery of the four people was made when police from the city police department’s 15th district had initially been called to the home for an issue involving a dispute between a tenant and a landlord, according to Philadelphia Police Lt. Raymond Evers.

The landlord had found the people locked behind a steel door in the basement of the home. Police had reported hearing a rumbling behind the door that sounded as if a dog may have been locked inside, according to Evers, but found the four people inside the small room, which one police official described as "a dungeon."

The four displayed signs of being malnourished. A police official said they were "very, very thin" and had bruises and bed sores on their bodies.They were taken to Frankford South Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.

The four have not been identified. Police said Sunday the four had been living in West Palm Beach, Fla., prior to coming to Philadelphia within the last few weeks. A police official said Saturday the mental state of the four has hindered attempts to determine where they are from, but law enforcement agencies are looking into the possibility they are connected to the west coast of Florida and Texas.

A police source said the four includes three men, the oldest being about 40, and one woman who looks to be around 20 years old. All of them have mental disabilities.