Missing Girl Found Alive in Tiny Room Under Staircase

In an increasingly strange case, a 15-year-old has been discovered after more than a year of searching. The girl, who has a history of running away from home, was discovered in a tiny room under a staircase. The teen was locked in the tiny 3-by-5 foot room, and the door was obscured by a dresser. The house the girl was found in is owned by an acquaintance of her parents, Adam Gault, 41. Gault and a 40-year-old woman named Anne Murphy, who is described by police as Gault's common-law wife, were arrested on various charges. Gault is charged with second-degree unlawful restraint, second-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree custodial interference, interfering with an officer, risk of injury to a minor, and second-degree forgery.

The girl, not identified because of her age, is being medically examined and is in protective custody. It does not appear that the child was living in the tiny room, but officers say that she could not have gotten out under her own power, the door being locked from the outside. Another child was found in the house as well, a 15-year-old boy. It is uncertain exactly whose child he is. The girl has not yet been returned to her parents, because of her obviously troubled past. It is believed that she could have been victimized by any one of various people she's come in contact with.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this article.