Story highlights Ariel Castro's house razed; site to be graded and seeded

Michelle Knight releases balloons outside home before demolition begins

Plans call for the house to be torn down and the lot cleared in a single day

Castro, who held three women captive in the house, pleaded guilty to 937 counts

The Cleveland woman who was held the longest at Ariel Castro's house of horrors was there to see it shortly before it was torn down Wednesday.

Michelle Knight handed out yellow helium-filled balloons Wednesday morning to people who'd gathered for the demolition of the 1,400-square-foot house where she and two other women were raped and held captive for roughly a decade.

Minutes later, a hydraulic excavator began reducing the house to rubble, destroying the site of one of Cleveland's most notorious crimes.

Knight told reporters that she was at the demolition site in part to remind relatives of abducted children that all is not necessarily lost.

"I want the people out there to know -- including the mothers -- that they can have strength, they can have hope, and their child will come back," she said.

Castro forfeited the house on Seymour Avenue as part of a July plea deal with prosecutors that took the death penalty off the table in exchange for a life sentence, plus 1,000 years in prison.

JUST WATCHED Reporter: Castro 'delusional' about home Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Reporter: Castro 'delusional' about home 02:02

Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro listens during the sentencing phase of his trial on August 1 in Cleveland alongside defense attorneys Craig Weintraub, left, and Jaye Schlachet. Castro held three women captive for years inside his Ohio home until their escape in May 2013. He pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping. On September 4, Castro was found dead inside his prison cell in Orient, Ohio. Hide Caption 1 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Former captive Michelle Knight, center, talks with reporters on August 7 outside convicted kidnapper Ariel Castro's house. Knight was on hand as workers began tearing down the structure. Hide Caption 2 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A crane demolishes the Cleveland house of Castro on August 7. Plans call for the house to be torn down and the lot cleared in a single day. Hide Caption 3 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Here is a view of the house where Castro held the three women captive. He forfeited the house as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that took the death penalty off the table in exchange for a life sentence, plus 1,000 years in prison. Hide Caption 4 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Michelle Knight speaks during the sentencing phase for Ariel Castro on August 1 in Cleveland. "I will live on," Knight said in her statement to Castro. "You will die a little every day." Hide Caption 5 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Amanda Berry vanished a few blocks from her Cleveland home on April 21, 2003. She was 16. She spoke in a video released on YouTube on July 8, thanking people for support and privacy. Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight escaped from a Cleveland home on May 6, 2013, after being held captive for nearly a decade. Hide Caption 6 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Georgina "Gina" DeJesus was last seen in Cleveland on April 2, 2004, on her way home from school. She was 14 when she went missing. Hide Caption 7 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Photos: Kidnapped teens found decade later – Knight was last seen on August 22, 2002, when she was 21. Hide Caption 8 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents and other law enforcement officers stand outside Castro's home in Cleveland on May 9, 2013. Hide Caption 9 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Castro hangs his head while talking with his public defender, Kathleen DeMetz, during his arraignment on May 9, 2013. Hide Caption 10 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Ariel Castro was charged on May 8, 2013, with kidnapping the three women. Hide Caption 11 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Investigators remove evidence from the house on Seymour Avenue in Cleveland where the three women were held. Hide Caption 12 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – An FBI forensics team meets outside the house where three women were held as they investigate the property. Hide Caption 13 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Cleveland Deputy Chief of Police Ed Tomba, center, speaks at a news conference to address details of the developments. Hide Caption 14 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – FBI agents remove evidence from the house May 7, 2013. Hide Caption 15 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – A police officer stands in front of the broken front door of the house on May 7, 2013, where the kidnapped women escaped. Hide Caption 16 of 17 Photos: Photos: Kidnapped teens rescued Kidnapped teens found decade later – Neighbor Charles Ramsey talks to media as people congratulate him on helping the kidnapped women escape on May 6, 2013. He helped knock down the door after he heard screaming inside. Hide Caption 17 of 17

JUST WATCHED Castro's 'house of horrors' torn down Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Castro's 'house of horrors' torn down 01:05

JUST WATCHED See photos taken inside Castro's home Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH See photos taken inside Castro's home 02:02

Demolition began around 7:30 a.m. as an aunt of another former Castro captive, Georgina DeJesus, made the first hit on the house, operating the excavator with assistance.

By 10 a.m. the house had virtually been leveled, and the excavator's arm was dropping debris into a garbage truck.

Before the demolition, Knight gave out balloons and, standing not far from the house where she lived an 11-year nightmare, she led a group in releasing them into the air. She said they represented abducted children who were never found.

"I go from here as being a motivational speaker and let everybody know that they are heard, that they are loved, and that there is hope for everyone," she said.

The goal is to tear the house down and get the property filled in, graded and seeded in a single day, said Gus Frangos, president of Cuyahoga Land Bank , which is supervising the demolition.

Castro pleaded guilty last month to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping. The charges stem from his kidnapping, rape and assault of three women: Knight, abducted in 2002; DeJesus, abducted in 2004; and Amanda Berry, abducted in 2003.

Also held was Berry's daughter, who was born at the home six years ago. DNA tests confirmed that Castro is the girl's father.

Berry and her daughter escaped from the home with the help of a neighbor on May 6, calling police in her now famous 911 call: "Help me, I am Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped, and I've been missing for 10 years. And I'm here. I'm free now."

Knight's visit to Castro's home was at least her second in a week. On Friday, she stood outside and looked at the house at 2207 Seymour Ave., a neighbor said.

She also attended Castro's sentencing Thursday, telling him "I spent 11 years in hell. Now, your hell is just beginning."

Castro's friends and family removed personal items from the home Monday, including musical instruments and photographs. Police said most of the items removed Monday were personal items left over after investigators collected evidence.

Berry also visited the house this week, collecting pictures drawn by her daughter.

Castro reconfigured the home to keep the captives' whereabouts a secret, FBI agent Andrew Burke testified during the sentencing. The back door was outfitted with an alarm, bedspreads and curtains obscured parts of the home, and a porch swing was placed in front of the stairs leading to the rooms where Castro held the three.