Texas Backyard Captivity Horror: Five Arrested After Woman Chained, Starved, and Shot
The disturbing case that shocked Austin, Texas, unfolded on October 30, 2025, when police responded to a welfare call in the 1700 block of Bitter Creek Drive, a quiet residential neighborhood in south Austin. What officers found behind a backyard fence was something out of a nightmare: a woman chained to a metal stand, partially unclothed, emaciated, and bearing visible signs of torture. The woman, whose identity has not been released for her safety and privacy, had reportedly been held captive for months by people she once considered her friends.
Victim and Discovery
The unnamed woman was discovered handcuffed to a metal exercise stand—similar to a punching bag frame—positioned against a backyard fence. Police said she appeared severely malnourished, weak, and covered in bruises and open wounds. Her wrists were deeply indented from the handcuffs, and she had several BB gun injuries on her legs, arms, and torso. Officers who arrived on scene immediately called for medical support, noting that she was half-naked from the waist down and appeared to have been living outdoors for an extended period.
The woman told investigators she had been restrained outside for several months, denied food and water for long stretches, and forced to endure humiliating abuse from her captors. Medical personnel later confirmed that her wounds were consistent with repeated restraint, starvation, and projectile injuries caused by a BB gun. She was immediately transported to a local hospital in stable but critical condition.
The Suspects
Police arrested five individuals connected to the case — several of them related by blood or marriage. Those charged include:
- Michelle Garcia, 51, identified as the ringleader. She allegedly controlled the property and ordered others to restrain and abuse the victim.
- Crystal Garcia, 21, Michelle’s daughter, who lived at the home and participated in feeding and monitoring the captive woman.
- Mache Carney, 32, another daughter of Michelle Garcia, who reportedly helped restrain the victim and told police the woman had “agreed” to the treatment.
- Juan Pablo Castro, 30, Mache Carney’s husband, who allegedly purchased and used an electric BB gun to shoot the victim “because he didn’t want to touch her.”
- Maynard Lefevers, 21, a family friend who was often present during the abuse and assisted in keeping the woman chained.
All five suspects were charged with aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault, injury to an elderly or disabled person, and unlawful restraint. They are being held in Travis County Jail while awaiting court appearances.
Allegations and Abuse
According to the arrest affidavits, the victim had lived with or around the Garcia family for nearly a decade. The suspects told police that they began restraining her “for her own good” after she exhibited what they described as erratic behavior. Michelle Garcia claimed the woman would “relieve herself in the yard,” and that handcuffing her outside was a way to prevent neighbors from seeing.
However, investigators found overwhelming evidence that the victim had no freedom or consent. Witness statements, including those from a four-year-old child in the home, revealed horrifying details: the child said his father, Juan Castro, would shoot the woman with a BB gun “when she was bad,” and that his mother, Mache, watched without intervening. The child added that he and his siblings could hear the woman screaming during these assaults.
The woman was reportedly given only one small meal per day, often scraps of food, and slept outdoors regardless of weather. Police found makeshift bedding near where she was chained, along with empty cans, broken dishes, and remnants of her personal belongings.
The Investigation
Three children living inside the home were immediately removed by Child Protective Services for their safety. Detectives are continuing to investigate how long the woman was kept captive and whether other individuals may have been victimized.
Police said the scene suggested long-term abuse—chains embedded in the ground, old restraints, and signs of previous attempts to clean the area. Neighbors told investigators they occasionally heard yelling but never imagined someone was being held captive.
The Aftermath
The victim remains under medical care and is expected to survive, though she faces a long recovery process, both physically and psychologically. Authorities have described her condition as one of the worst cases of domestic captivity they’ve encountered in recent years.
Each suspect faces decades in prison if convicted. The case has drawn widespread outrage and raised pressing questions about how such abuse could go unnoticed in a suburban neighborhood. Police have called it a tragic example of how isolation and manipulation can turn trusted relationships into unimaginable cruelty.
As the legal process unfolds, Austin officials have urged the public to remain vigilant and report any signs of abuse, no matter how small. For the victim who survived months of torture in a backyard just miles from downtown, justice may finally be within reach.