The daughter of an Indiana woman charged along with her partner with kidnapping a woman, locking her in a cage and raping her over a two-month period said her mother is not a demon.
"The whole story is not being told," Maranda Higgs told NBC News Tuesday in an emotional interview, adding, "It's not her, she's not a demon."
Her mother, Kendra Tooley, 44, and her boyfriend, Ricky Roy House Jr., 37, were charged Monday with rape, kidnapping and other counts. The woman managed to escape captivity with the help of Tooley’s ex-husband, Ron Higgs, who visited the couple’s trailer home. Higgs said the captive begged him to help free her.
Maranda Higgs, 23, one of Tooley's three daughters with Ron Higgs, said her heart goes out to the victim and her family "because nobody deserves this."
The victim, a 30-year-old mother, told police she knew Tooley and House, accepted a ride from House, and went to their mobile home where she was knocked out with chloroform. The nightmare scenario that followed over the next 59 days was depicted in graphic detail in court papers. According to Posey County prosecutors, House locked the woman in several places throughout the home, including the cage. She was also forced to wear a red dog collar and leash, and restrained at times with bungee cords and zip ties, court papers revealed.
The woman also told police she was beaten and forced to have sex with the couple.
Visibly shaken by the tale, Maranda Higgs said she feels "torn in the middle."
"I just want to wake up and have it be a dream," she said.
The pair pleaded not guilty on Monday and are being held on bail.
— Erin McClam contributed to this report.