NEW YORK – The two minors rescued from the “house of horrors” in The Bronx were found naked, with bruises, in a room full of excrement and eating part of a “foam” mattress.
Darcel Clark, the Bronx district attorney, reported this week that Stephanie Grabowski, 40, and Mark Russell, 45, were arrested while trespassing in an apartment on East 138th Street.
The woman and her boyfriend were charged with second degree kidnapping, second degree unlawful confinement, robbery and endangering the welfare of a minor.
Grabowski also faces charges of first-degree kidnapping that occurred on or about and between November 14, 2022, and May 3, at East 169th Street and the apartment.
The couple were indicted Monday. They must appear at a court hearing on September 13.
The criminal complaint indicates that the apartment that was supposed to be vacant was full of feces and urine. There was apparently not enough food, clothing, or clean diapers; but a lot of rubbish.
The agents also discovered that the doorknob in one room and the one in an adjacent closet were tied together by a cord. When they kicked in the door of the room, they discovered the girls, whose ages are unknown.
Investigators later learned that Grabowski was under a Family Court warrant after he eloped from the Administration for Children and Family Services last November. Authorities issued protective orders at the time.
The girls were transferred to the Children’s Advocacy Center on May 4 after being rescued. The nurse who examined the victims referred the case to the New York Police Department’s (NYPD) Child Abuse Unit in The Bronx. The next day, the girls were evaluated at Jacobi Medical Center. Staff determined that they had significant bruising and marks in various states of healing, as well as a rash. Additionally, they had difficulty walking, standing and talking.