A woman that was kidnapped by her stepfather held captive and was impregnated by her stepfather for over 19 years talks about how she escaped.
In 1997, Rosalynn McGinnis was kidnapped from her school in Oklahoma in 1997 by Henri Piette, her stepfather.
Henri brought Rosalynn to Mexico, where he forced to marry him when she was just 11-years-old.
Rosalynn said she gave birth to her first baby when she was just 15, and that happened at the back of a van in Mexico.
Rosalynn ended up having 8 more children with Henri.
She was also forced to beg on the streets.
Rosalynn said she’d been supporting her family by selling coffee, honey or homemade ice cream to people in a local village in Mexico.
Henri ended up using the money she earned for drugs and alcohol.
Rosalynn was also being beaten by Henri.
Rosalynn said she and her children were being beaten with bats, rifles, and beer bottles.
Everything changed after they got to meet this couple in a supermarket.
Rosalynn said they were in a grocery store, and a couple realized something was wrong when they failed to pay the entire bill.
During an appearance at the Dr. Oz show, Rosalynn said, “We were in the grocery store, we were in front of them, and we had a bunch of kids, of course, and it was me and Henri Piette. The age difference and all the children. Actually, we were short on the bill to pay for the groceries and they paid it for us.”
Rosalynn added, “They asked… where we lived. It started like that. Henri was the type that always kept people away. But they knew something wasn’t right. So, they decided to do something about it. We moved and they found out where we were and she’s like, ‘I know there’s something wrong’. If you can ever getaway, I’ll help you.”
Lisa and Ian, the couple that helped Rosalynn, realized something was really wrong when they visited the house of Rosalynn and Henri.
Lisa, the person who helped Rosalynn, said the kids were hanging off the front of the balcony when they went to their house.
Lisa said Rosalynn was desperate to see anyone, and they just realized that the family was being kept isolated.
The signs that Rosalynn and her kids showed indicated that they had no frequent touch with people.
Lisa said, “[The children] were all skinny as rakes. And the children said that he said he didn’t love any of them. We knew there was desperation. You could just feel it. Both in the children and her.” And that’s when the tide turned, that’s when I said, ‘Something’s wrong. We’ve got to help them because there’s something not right about this situation’.”
Rosalynn and her kids escaped from the captivity of Henri when he got passed out from drinking too much alcohol.
Lisa and Ian helped Rosalynn and her 8 kids, one of her children already escaped their house, by taking them under their care.
Henry was arrested by the police in September 2017.
After the arrest of Henri, Rosalynn released a statement, where she said, “‘Relief’ is such a small word in comparison to how I feel about the capture of Henri Piette. … Knowing that the man who physically took 22 years from me, leaving me with a lifetime of painful challenges, has been captured makes today one of the most pivotal times of my life.”
She added, “My children and I suffer daily as a result of this predator’s abuse. Now, we look forward to continuing our newfound life of freedom and moving forward, having a lifetime of happiness and success.”
Rosalynn and her kids escaped the captivity of Henri in 2016.
Rosalynn has been reunited with her 9th child, and they are currently recovering from the things that they went through for almost 20 years in the United States of America.
After escaping, Rosalynn reported the incident to the police.
Henri has been charged with raping Rosalynn for almost 2 decades and has been convicted of kidnapping her.