Ohio suspect charged with kidnap and rape

Cleveland resident Ariel Castro has been charged with kidnapping and raping three women who were rescued from his house after nearly a decade in captivity.

Castro's two brothers Pedro and Onil, originally arrested in the case, were not charged, said Cleveland city prosecutor Victor Perez at a news conference on Wednesday.

The charges came as police revealed that the women, who were rescued on Monday after one of them, Amanda Berry, fled with the help of a neighbour, had not seen any previous chances to escape in nearly ten years of captivity.

"The only opportunity, after interviewing the young ladies, to escape was the other day when Amanda escaped," Cleveland Deputy Police Chief Ed Tomba said at the same news conference.

"They don't believe that they've been outside that home for the last 10 years respectively," he said.

They were not in one room, but they did know each other and they did know each other was there," he added.

Police said earlier that they found ropes and chains in the house that had been used to hold them prisoner. No human remains were found, they said.

Castro, 52, faces four counts of kidnapping relating to Berry, now 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, Michelle Knight, 32, and Berry's six-year-old daughter who was conceived and born during her mother's captivity, authorities said.

A paternity test will be conducted to determine the girl's father, Tomba said.

Berry and DeJesus went to their families' homes on Wednesday, while Knight was in a Cleveland hospital where a spokeswoman said she was in good condition.

The rape charges against Castro relate to Berry, DeJesus and Knight, the prosecutor said. He would be arraigned on Thursday morning, the prosecutor said.

Castro and his two brothers were arrested on Monday evening within hours of the women's escape from his house. However, there was no evidence that they were involved, the prosecutor said.

Investigators took some 200 pieces of evidence from the Castro house, which Tomba said was "in quite a bit of disarray."

Berry's sister, Beth Serrano, broke down in tears after she read a short statement on her behalf, thanking people for their support, outside her home.

"Our family would request privacy so my sister and niece and I can have time to recover," she said.

DeJesus hid her face in a yellow hoodie but raised her hand in a thumbs-up sign to the crowd that was chanting "Gina, Gina" outside her home.

Her aunt Sandra Ruiz said outside the house words could not express the family's joy at the return of the women and thanked the community.

"We are asking for your support to be patient with us," Ruiz said.

"Give us time and privacy to heal. When we're ready, I promise every single one of you guys that we'll talk to you."