# Joelle Lockwood rescued 2 months after abduction living in a cage. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 8, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832 "2014-09-08T05:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/1 "2014-09-08T05:37:46Z")
This is my nomination for the years strangest abduction and rescue. 🙂 This couple really thought this guy wouldn’t react to them keeping a sex slave? :smack: Glad he stepped up and got her out of there. [http://www.14news.com/story/26469763/missing-evansville-mother-of-two-held-captive-since-july-9](http://www.14news.com/story/26469763/missing-evansville-mother-of-two-held-captive-since-july-9) [http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/ronald-higgs-on-how-he-led-joelle-lockwood-to-free/27804/OrnP5XV06k-5ZjQPkRex3g](http://www.tristatehomepage.com/story/d/story/ronald-higgs-on-how-he-led-joelle-lockwood-to-free/27804/OrnP5XV06k-5ZjQPkRex3g) > **[2 Arrested After Missing Indiana Woman Found](https://abcnews.go.com/US/arrested-missing-indiana-woman-found/story?id=25325232)** > > Police in Indiana arrested two people believed to have held a woman against her will since her disappearance in July. > [@](#): > > “She (Tooley) slid over on the couch beside me and said ‘I’ve got a girl back here in a cage.’ I said ‘you got a girl back here in a cage? What are you talking about,’” questioned Higgs. > > He says the girl in the cage was Joelle Lockwood. Higgs says it was two and a half feet tall, stuffed in a room, hidden from plain view. > > “No food, no water, nowhere to use the bathroom,” said Higgs. > > Higgs says when he first saw Joelle she was only wearing a t-shirt and a dog collar with a rope tied to it, being treated apparently like a slave. > > “This just isn’t adding up. When she cooked all of our meals she said ‘can I have something to eat?’ They said ‘if there’s something left you can have something to eat.’” > > Higgs returned to the trailer Friday night when Joelle made her plea for freedom. > > “She says ‘please don’t leave here without me.’ I said ‘what’s the matter?’ She says ‘I’ve been here for over 60 days and they put me in that cage.’” > > It was then Higgs knew Joelle’s shot at freedom was in his hands. > > “I didn’t really know what I could do because I’m nowhere near the man I used to be, but I’m not leaving this house without her. I don’t care what I have to do. She’s coming home.” From the other interview. > [@](#): > > Higgs says at first he didn’t understand anything about the situation. > > “That’s when she told me on the second night with tears running down her eyes, ‘please, do not leave here with out me,’” says Higgs. “And I promised her, if I have to give my life to get you out of here I will.” > > Higgs says he spent most of Friday thinking of ways to try and free Joelle from the two. > > At one point he says he even offered to buy her from Tooley and House. > > Finally, Higgs says he made up a story to let Joelle leave with him. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/2 "2014-09-08T08:02:24Z")
I don’t understand why he didn’t go directly to the police as soon as he knew it was happening. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/3 "2014-09-08T08:06:39Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I don’t understand why he didn’t go directly to the police as soon as he knew it was happening. The other guy threatened him with a shotgun. For all he knew, they might have killed her if he left without her. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/4 "2014-09-08T08:10:45Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > The other guy threatened him with a shotgun. For all he knew, they might have killed her if he left without her. He learned that they had a girl in a cage on Thursday night. He spent most of Friday thinking of a rescue plan On Friday night, the shotgun confrontation occurred. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/5 "2014-09-08T08:25:01Z")
He’s not the smartest cookie in the box and it wasn’t until the second day that he knew for sure it wasn’t voluntary (although that word may have too many syllables for him). There is this “you’re not very bright, are you?” land, somewhere between the average and “stupid”, and it can be quite amazing. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/6 "2014-09-08T08:38:36Z")
Yeah, **Nava** and I are thinking along the same lines. Thursday he could be thinking, well, weird, but probably consensual. Might even be a bit of role-play going on. It wasn’t until Friday she told him she was a prisoner and shit got real. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/7 "2014-09-08T09:08:48Z")
To be fair, it strikes me as one of those situations where I can see someone thinking, “This has GOT to be consensual, right? I mean, he wouldn’t SHOW this to me if it wasn’t, right? I mean, who actually kidnaps people and keeps them in cages in real life?” ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/8 "2014-09-08T09:18:18Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > To be fair, it strikes me as one of those situations where I can see someone thinking, “This has GOT to be consensual, right? I mean, he wouldn’t SHOW this to me if it wasn’t, right? I mean, who actually kidnaps people and keeps them in cages in real life?” NM ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/9 "2014-09-08T22:30:11Z")
The smart thing would have been to play along and leave as planned without alarming anybody. Then call the cops ASAP. I guess since this was his ex-wife maybe he didn’t see that much personal danger. _She wouldn’t let new bf shoot me. Would she?_ Apparently this could have gone very wrong very easily. Thankfully it worked out ok. > [@cochrane](#): > > Yeah, **Nava** and I are thinking along the same lines. Thursday he could be thinking, well, weird, but probably consensual. Might even be a bit of role-play going on. It wasn’t until Friday she told him she was a prisoner and shit got real. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/10 "2014-09-08T22:46:50Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > He’s not the smartest cookie in the box and it wasn’t until the second day that he knew for sure it wasn’t voluntary (although that word may have too many syllables for him). There is this “you’re not very bright, are you?” land, somewhere between the average and “stupid”, and it can be quite amazing. But ultimately the stupid guy got her out. He’s probably ugly too. I guess he just doesn’t measure up to your standards of a hero. He saved her, but not good enough. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/11 "2014-09-08T23:01:09Z")
She got out. No one got hurt. Too bad if the way it happened wasn’t perfect enough for some dopers. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/12 "2014-09-08T23:53:04Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > She got out. No one got hurt. > > Too bad if the way it happened wasn’t perfect enough for some dopers. I’d be impressed if Usain Bolt ran faster than a car. But I’d still tell the man to stop running in traffic and practice on a track. I’m glad that Higgs was able to negotiate the situation in such a way that no further damage was done to anyone. But he should have called the cops, because - while they may not be infallible - they’re much more likely to figure out how to handle this sort of situation in a way that no one gets killed. It’s just luck that it turned out like it did. I discourage the world from relying on luck when it is a life or death situation. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/13 "2014-09-09T00:02:24Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > She got out. No one got hurt. Except for the woman trapped in a cage and repeatedly raped for months. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/14 "2014-09-09T00:47:00Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I’d be impressed if Usain Bolt ran faster than a car. But I’d still tell the man to stop running in traffic and practice on a track. > > I’m glad that Higgs was able to negotiate the situation in such a way that no further damage was done to anyone. But he should have called the cops, because - while they may not be infallible - they’re much more likely to figure out how to handle this sort of situation in a way that no one gets killed. It’s just luck that it turned out like it did. I discourage the world from relying on luck when it is a life or death situation. When should he have called the cops? As soon as he saw the girl? BAM BAM dead girl dead hero. When the guy pulled a shotgun on him? BAM BAM dead guy dead girl. There was, apparently, no time that he could have called the police without putting himself and Miss Lockwood in further jeopardy before he extricated the both of them from the premises. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/15 "2014-09-09T00:59:19Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > When should he have called the cops? As soon as he saw the girl? BAM BAM dead girl dead hero. When the guy pulled a shotgun on him? BAM BAM dead guy dead girl. > > There was, apparently, no time that he could have called the police without putting himself and Miss Lockwood in further jeopardy before he extricated the both of them from the premises. Yeah, because he extricated the both of them from the premises as soon as he knew there was an issue. I’d lay down pretty good odds that he’s a smoker and has a cellphone. Even if he isn’t a smoker, I don’t think it’s all that hard to come up with an excuse to step outside to make a phone call. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/16 "2014-09-09T01:45:40Z")
Has anyone explained how he managed to get out of there with her? They won’t let him make a phone call, but he can waltz out the front door with a kidnapped woman? I mean, the kidnappers were some kind of world class stupid, but I guess that goes without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Bouncer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@Bouncer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bouncer)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/17 "2014-09-09T02:11:56Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > Yeah, because he extricated the both of them from the premises as soon as he knew there was an issue. > > I’d lay down pretty good odds that he’s a smoker and has a cellphone. Even if he isn’t a smoker, I don’t think it’s all that hard to come up with an excuse to step outside to make a phone call. He handled the situation the best he could at the time. We can Monday morning quarterback and question his intelligence, but the reality is he was able to free her and walk her out of there without any violence whatsoever. That’s pretty impressive to me. Regards, -Bouncer- ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/18 "2014-09-09T02:15:28Z")
He said in one of the interviews that he gave them the impression he wouldn’t call the cops. He’d just leave with the woman and that would be the end of it. I guess the guy with the gun just wasn’t a cold blooded murder. It takes a special kind of bad person to pull the trigger unprovoked. > [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > Has anyone explained how he managed to get out of there with her? They won’t let him make a phone call, but he can waltz out the front door with a kidnapped woman? > > I mean, the kidnappers were some kind of world class stupid, but I guess that goes without saying. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/19 "2014-09-09T06:34:42Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > But ultimately the stupid guy got her out. He’s probably ugly too. I guess he just doesn’t measure up to your standards of a hero. > He saved her, but not good enough. You’re reading things that I didn’t write. I was explaining him, genius, not putting him down! Would a response of “how come Joe wasn’t leaving the building when the fire alarm rang?” along the lines of “his hearing aids were off” have offended you too? ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2014, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832/20 "2014-09-09T07:24:49Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > She got out. No one got hurt. > > Too bad if the way it happened wasn’t perfect enough for some dopers. Is it really wrong that Dopers think that more careful, thoughtful action would have been a safer, better option, and would not have been so reliant on dumb luck as appears to have been the case here? Sure, he got her out and he’s a hero; an extremely lucky hero. The outcome was good - that doesn’t necessarily mean the methodology was good. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/joelle-lockwood-rescued-2-months-after-abduction-living-in-a-cage/697832.md?page=2)