LANCASTER, S.C. — For years, Terisa Hinson searched for her missing brother filing reports and fearing the worst. She didn’t find him until police discovered he was being held captive in a Lancaster basement, where investigators said he had been trapped with his wife.
Terisa Hinson told Channel 9’s Tina Terry that she’s still not sure how her brother ended up trapped in the basement.
She said she searched for her brother for years and filed a missing person report.
She didn’t find him until a few months ago when police made the discovery in a basement.
“It really makes me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t do nothing,” Hinson said. “I want to know why. Why them? Of all the people in the world, why?” she said.
Warrants said police came to the house in July where the wife was found dead.
Officers discovered a total of four people held against their will in the basement by the suspect, Donnie Ray Birchfield Jr.
“He was like 70 pounds from what they said. He looked feeble,” Hinson said after seeing him in a hospital.
“He really didn’t say anything because he was still in trauma and shock,” she said. “(He) walked out the room and busted out crying because it was just so heartbreaking.”
She said her brother has a developmental disability, but he was very independent and lived on his own until a few years ago when he disappeared.
She’s waiting for more answers and wants justice for her brother and his wife.
“I’m hoping he gets charged to the fullest extent, honestly,” she said.
Hinson said her brother is getting back on his feet and starting to gain weight.
Last week, the attorney general’s office said it is prosecuting the case and is waiting on a pathologist report before considering more charges.
VIDEO: Man charged for keeping four people captive in basement
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