Five People Arrested For Intent Of Trafficking Autistic Woman

First Posted: Jul 11, 2016 06:11 AM EDT

A woman was discovered wandering the backyard of a home in Louisiana, covered in bug bites and appearing malnourished. Authorities said that they investigated the property after receiving an anonymous tip.

Officials detail 'very sick individuals' in Amite arrested for keeping caged autistic woman https://t.co/cSbqgjOe84 pic.twitter.com/MBlu5j6a2K

— The Advocate (@theadvocatebr) July 8, 2016

It was believed that the woman may have been living in a makeshift shelter located in the property's backyard since October 2015, as reported by WAFB. "She was often locked in the cage at night in order to keep her from wandering off," a statement from the Sheriff's Office said.

Five men have been identified in connection to the woman: Terry Knope, 43; Raylaine Knope, 40; Taylor Knope, 18; Jody Lambert, 21; and Bridget Lambert, 19, were all arrested for human trafficking and cruelty to the infirm. However, The Advocate said that it isn't known whether or not they hired an attorney.

All five are said to have remained in the Tangipahoa Parish Prison in lieu of a $150,000 bail each. The woman was put in the custody of the Louisiana Department of Health, Adult/Elderly Protective Services. However, she was not the only victim. Four minor children aged seven and younger were also removed from the home and placed in the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services for custody. Authorities also believe that the people involved planned on transporting the victim "to a specific location with the intention of prostituting her out to multiple male subjects for money."

"The lesson here, as far as I can tell, is that there are some very sick individuals in this world, and there are some sick individuals within Tangipahoa Parish," Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards told The Advocate. "Human trafficking doesn't discriminate. It exists in Shreveport. It exists in New Orleans. It exists in Tangipahoa Parish. It exists in St. Tammany Parish. It exists everywhere there are people."