Katie Beers kidnapping

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Katie Beers Case
LocationBay Shore, New York
DateDecember 28, 1992 (aged 9)
Attack type
Kidnapping
WeaponsKnife
VictimKatie Beers
PerpetratorsJohn Esposito

Katherine Beers[1] (born December 30, 1982)[2][3] was a 9-year-old girl kidnapped in New York by a friend of the family, and held in an underground bunker from December 28, 1992, to January 13, 1993.[4]

Kidnapping[]

Long Island child Katie Beers, the daughter of Marilyn Beers, disappeared on December 28, 1992, two days before the girl's 10th birthday. She was lured to the home of family friend John Esposito by the promise of birthday presents.[3]

She left a message on her godmother's answering machine saying, "I've been kidnapped by a man with a knife,"[2] traced by police to a pay phone near the Spaceplex indoor amusement park and video arcade in Nesconset, New York.[5] Police later determined the message had been tape-recorded.[6] Esposito told police Beers was kidnapped by a third party while at Spaceplex.[2]

Beers was held in a 6-foot-by-7-foot concrete bunker under Esposito's garage at his home at 1416 Saxon Avenue in Bay Shore, New York, concealed by a 200-pound concrete trap door. The bunker contained a commode toilet, television set, mattress and chains used to restrain Beers. Beers, along with other children, had played in the dirt displaced by the bunker as Esposito dug it a few years earlier. He told police he had built the bunker for Beers.[3][6]

On January 13, 1993, she was found alive in the bunker.[7][8]

Aftermath[]

Esposito was sentenced on July 27, 1994, to 15 years to life,[9] a sentence he served at Sing Sing prison in Westchester County, New York. He was found dead in his cell of apparently natural causes on September 4, 2013, shortly after his fourth parole hearing in 20 years.[10]

Due to severe neglect from her mother and abuse by her godmother's husband that she had experienced before the kidnapping, Beers was sent to live with foster parents in East Hampton, New York.[11][12][13] She was raised by the foster family until adulthood.[11]

During Esposito's trial, Beers said Esposito had raped her during her captivity. Although he was not charged with this,[3] the judge sentencing him agreed with her.[9]

Media[]

In January 2013, Beers published a memoir, Buried Memories (known as Help Me in the United Kingdom) about her ordeal. The book was co-written by reporter Carolyn Gusoff, who had covered Beers' case as it was happening.[3]

ABC's 20/20 episode "Saved" covered the Katie Beers story in February 2013.[14]

Investigation Discovery recounted the case on an episode of its 2020 documentary miniseries Killer Carnies. It included accounts from Beers, the lead police detective, and others.[15]

See also[]

External links[]

Further reading[]

  • Joe Treen; Maria Eftimiades (January 16, 2013). My Name Is Katherine: The True Story of Little Katie Beers. St. Martin's Press.

References[]

  1. ^ McQuiston, John T. (January 21, 1993). "Katie Beers Likes New Home, Official Says". The New York Times. p. B5. Retrieved October 19, 2020. 'One of her first words to me when we met last Friday were, "You know my name is really Katherine,"' Mr. Catterson said this afternoon.
  2. ^ a b c Rabinovitz, Jonathan (December 31, 1992). "Police Query 2 in Search For Girl, 10". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-24. ...who disappeared ... on Monday [December 28, 1992]...
  3. ^ a b c d e Goodman, J. David (January 15, 2013). "A Girl Held for 16 Days in a Dungeon, Now Looking Back as a Woman". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-01-16. After luring her to his home with the promise of presents two days before her 10th birthday...
  4. ^ Note: Cited sources variously give length of time as either 16 days or 17 days. The latter includes the day of the kidnapping; from December 28 to January 13 is 16 days otherwise.
  5. ^ "Police Trace Call by Missing Girl to Pay Phone". The New York Times. January 2, 1993. p. 27. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  6. ^ a b McQuiston, John T. (January 14, 1993). "Girl, Missing for 16 Days, Is Found in Secret Room". The New York Times. p. A1.
  7. ^ Milton, Pat (January 30, 1993). "Katie Beers Finally Gets to be a Child". Associated Press. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Katie, reported missing in late December, was found Jan. 13...
  8. ^ McQuiston, John T. (June 29, 1994). "Calm, Collected Katie Beers Testifies in Sex Abuse Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
  9. ^ a b McQuiston, John (July 27, 1994). "Man Sentenced to Prison In Kidnapping of L.I. Girl". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-04-13.
  10. ^ "Man Convicted In Katie Beers Abduction Found Dead In Cell At Sing Sing". New York City: WCBS. September 5, 2013. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  11. ^ a b Givens, Ann (January 13, 2013). "Katie Beers recounts kidnapping ordeal, 20 years later". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  12. ^ Press, Associated (February 21, 2009). "Child Abductor Sal Inghilleri Dies in Jail". New York Post. New York City. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  13. ^ "Katie Beers: Kidnapping allowed me to escape abuse". CBS News. Associated Press. January 15, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  14. ^ Bernstein, Alyssa. "'Saved' on '20/20' Airing Friday, February 8 on ABC". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 9, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
  15. ^ Lovece, Frank (October 25, 2020). "LI's Katie Beers to describe kidnapping on 'Killer Carnies'". Newsday. New York City / Long Island. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
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