Three girls say they were imprisoned in Tucson home

Courtland Jeffry | The Arizona Republic

Show Caption Hide Caption Arizona girls, imprisoned in own home, escape Three Tucson, Ariz., girls escape what police call a “child imprisonment” situation where they were abused and lived in filth.

The names of the girls were not immediately released Tuesday

The girls have been removed from the home%2C Tucson police said

Two of the girls said they hadn%27t seen the third for possibly up to two years

TUCSON, Ariz. — A couple was arrested Tuesday after three girls told police they had been imprisoned in a home for up to two years, authorities said.

The girls are siblings — ages 12, 13 and 17 — and police are investigating two of their relatives, a 32-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man, on allegations of child abuse and imprisonment.

The Arizona Republic is not naming the suspects because doing so could identify the underage victims in the case.

Authorities said the girls appeared malnourished and extremely dirty, and were living in filthy conditions.

The girls told police they hadn't bathed in four to six months and were fed one meal a day, according to a Tucson police statement.

Tucson Police Capt. Mike Gillooly says the children have been removed from the home and their mother and stepfather have been arrested.

The two youngest girls escaped to a neighbor's house early Tuesday and a neighbor called 911.

Details were sparse on Tuesday night, but police said they were called at about 4 a.m. to a house on reports of an assault. The two youngest girls said they escaped and went to a neighbor for help after the 34-year-old man tried to break into a room while brandishing a knife, the statement said.

Police said they found the 17-year-old girl in a locked bedroom during a search of the home. The sisters told police that the eldest girl was kept in a separate bedroom from the other two and that they had not seen each other for months, possibly up to two years, police said.

The man and woman were charged with three counts each of child abuse/emotional abuse; three counts each of child abuse/physical abuse; and three counts each of kidnapping. Police are also holding the man on suspicion of sexual abuse of a person under 15 years of age.

Contributing: The Associated Press