Tangipahoa Sheriff Daniel Edwards says the woman was held captive in an outdoor pen for nearly a year and forced to perform sex acts, and her captors had planned to have her perform sex acts with others for money.

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"I can't believe this took place. The bad thing about it, it's blood relatives that I helped raise," said Rocky Stewart.He walked around the makeshift cage on Friday where a 22-year-old autistic woman had been held captive for nearly a year.Five people have been arrested and charged with human trafficking and cruelty to the infirm. Raylaine Knope, 40; Bridget Lambert,19; Taylor Knope, 18; Jody Lambert, 21; and Terry Knope, 43, were identified as the suspects.Acting on a complaint, the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office investigated and ultimately executed search warrants at a house and trailer on Rushing Road near Amite.Deputies found a makeshift cage that had been covered with plywood, pine branches and a tarpaulin. They also found the 22-year-old autistic woman covered in insect bites and malnourished. She had only a small mattress on which to sleep, a 5-gallon bucket for a toilet and another 5-gallon bucket containing water."This girl was eat up with mosquitoes, bugs. It's horrible. I mean the damn dog got treated better than she did," Stewart said.The woman had apparently lost as much as 60 pounds during her captivity. She was taken to a hospital and treated. Since then, she has been interviewed and revealed more details of her ordeal to investigators.Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards, visibly shaken and emotional, said he had heard about crimes like this, but he had never seen it."The degree of trauma that somebody like this goes through is probably indescribable and something I can't imagine, so I would certainly ask that we all keep her in our thoughts and prayers," Edwards said.Standing next to an enlarged photograph of the primitive cage in which the woman was held captive, Edwards told the story of her ordeal. He said that she had been locked in the cage day and night for months and told she would be killed if she attempted to escape.Edwards said the woman had been forced to perform sex acts on others."They also had planned to bring her to another specific location for the purpose of her performing sexual acts on a large group of people in exchange for them, the captors, being paid money," Edwards said.When questioned about the relationship the victim may have had with those arrested, Edwards said, "I don't want to give you the exact relationship, because it may help you determine who the victim is, but there is a, they are related."Edwards said the investigation is continuing and more charges may be filed against those already in jail. He said human trafficking is everywhere now, including Tangipahoa Parish.Family members and neighbors, especially Rocky Stewart, remain stunned that such a crime could take place in their midst and remain a secret for so long."I had no idea it took place. I'm sick as a dog about it," Stewart said.Keep up with local news, weather and current events with the WDSU app here.Sign up for our email newsletters to get breaking news right in your inbox. Click here to sign up!