AG: Washington County woman was kept in cage

Her sister faces several charges, including neglect

In late November, the state’s Adult Protective Services requested that detectives check on a report of a woman being kept in a “cage-like enclosure” in Washington County.

Upon entering the Vestaburg home, officials found a 53-year-old woman kneeling inside of an enclosure made of plywood and lumber that had a gate with a latch on the outside, according to a criminal complaint. Also inside the enclosure was a “very dirty” mattress and a baby bottle “that appeared to contain milk.”

The woman’s sister Leona Biser, 51, of Vestaburg, is now facing a felony charge for allegedly neglecting a care-dependent person and multiple misdemeanors for unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and recklessly endangering another person.

“This defendant professed to be caring for her sister when, in fact, the home was in deplorable condition, had no running water, and the victim was not getting her prescribed medicines,” Attorney General Josh Shapiro said in a release issued Wednesday. “We fight to protect those who cannot protect themselves. And our agents have made sure the victim has received needed care and will no longer have to suffer daily living in a cage.”

Ms. Biser’s sister suffers from seizures and other conditions.

When detectives discovered the woman on Nov. 22, they called medics, who transported her to Monongahela Valley Hospital for an untreated infection, multiple skin rashes and growths, and a condition of weakened muscles caused by the infection, according to the criminal complaint.

Upon admission to the hospital, medical staff learned that the woman’s blood levels indicated that she had not been given her seizure medication. The woman was also found to be dehydrated, suffering from poor hygiene, and unable to stand or speak, according to the complaint.

Detectives searched Ms. Biser’s home on Dec. 16 and found a bottle of seizure medication dated for Aug. 15 with instruction to administer the pills three times per day. Out of the 270 prescribed pills, 47 remained in the bottle, according to the complaint.

That’s also when detectives learned that the house had no running water, a nonworking stove and no bathroom, as well as large amounts of dog feces and “trash strewn throughout the house.”

Medical papers in the home indicated that Ms. Biser’s sister hadn’t seen a physician since August 2018.

The officers also found that a dog was now being kept in the wooden enclosure where they discovered the woman, according to the complaint.

Ms. Biser told detectives that she kept her sister in the cage-like structure to prevent her from falling and getting hurt, according to the complaint.

Ms. Biser’s sister has since been moved to a rehabilitation facility where detectives observed her to be “very alert and clean” during a visit on Dec. 30.

The criminal complaint stated that medical staff told police that “after a few days, she started looking at people, and began smiling and laughing” and that she has begun working with a speech therapist.

Ms. Biser is being held on $50,000 bail. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Jan. 24.