Cheers greeted a motorcade that escorted Amanda Berry and her daughter
today as the woman returned home after enduring a decade of captivity in
a Cleveland house.
Berry and her 6-year-old daughter, Jocelyn, were ushered into the house
through a back door out of the view of cameras. She is expected to
"freshen up," and then emerge on the porch to make a statement,
Commander Thomas McCartney, of the Cleveland Police Department told
reporters.
She came home to the house of her sister Beth. The front porch and
bushes are festooned with balloons and teddy bears and a phalanx of
press out front.
McCartney told the media, "Remember this is Amanda's day. She is calling the shots... It's Amanda's rules today."
Berry is credited as being the "hero" after she made a brave bolt to
freedom on Monday with her daughter by her side. Berry's 911 call led
authorities to the home on Seymour Avenue where she and two other women
were allegedly kept for a decade.
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Amanda's homecoming was something her family and law enforcement said they never stopped believing would one day happen.
"Hope is alive today and our dreams have been answered," McCartney said.
The original missing flyer showing Amanda and a yellow ribbon were tied to a tree outside the home.
Nearby was a sign that said, "Wish it. Dream it."
Berry's Call to Her Grandmother
Twenty-four hours after making an emotional call to police following her daring escape from 10 years of captivity, Berry made a far different call to family members in Tennessee to let them know she is "glad to be back."
The elation among family members and friends stretched well beyond the
home where Berry, 27, and two other women -- Gina DeJesus, 23, and
Michele Knight, 32 -- were allegedly held captive on Seymour Avenue in
Cleveland.
Berry called her grandmother Fern Gentry of Elizabethton, Tenn., Tuesday
to say that the little girl in the hospital photo is her 6-year-old
daughter, Jocelyn, according to ABC News affiliate WEWS-TV, which was present during the call.
"Is the little girl your baby?" Gentry asked.
"Yeah, she's my daughter, she was born on Christmas," Berry said.
Many of Berry's relatives, including her grandparents and father, now
live in Tennessee. Some of Berry's younger cousins only know her through
pictures and stories told by other family members.
Berry went missing
at age 16 in 2003 while on her way home from a job at Burger King.
"I'm glad to have you back," grandmother Gentry said to Berry.
"I'm glad to be back," Berry said.
Berry's father, John, said he had a short conversation with her Tuesday
and through his darkest days, he always knew his daughter was alive.
"I didn't think she was dead. No, never," Berry said. "Keep hope. Keep
hope. Don't give up till you know because I never gave up."
Berry said he knew deep down in his heart that his daughter's "rough and
tough" attitude would keep her alive. That's why he spent years putting
posters up in every store window, knowing he would one day get that
call.
His former wife, Louwana Miller,
worked hard to bring their daughter home, pleading with authorities to
follow every tip. Miller died in 2006 at the age of 43 after being
hospitalized with pancreatitis. Berry suspects she died of a broken
heart.
Berry, who is recovering from back surgery, finally received that
long-awaited call from a Cleveland relative after his daughter broke
through a door and bolted toward freedom.
"There's no way to explain. It's the best thing that ever happened to me. Best feeling I ever had," Berry said.
Michele Knight, who vanished in 2002 when she was 20, is expected to be
released from the hospital later today. Knight's mother, Barbara,
revealed that when her daughter disappeared, she filed a police report,
but no one took her seriously.
"I had a caseworker tell me that maybe she doesn't want me to be involved with her life anymore," Knight told Cleveland's Fox affiliate WJW-TV.
Actions of 911 dispatcher ‘under review’ in Amanda Berry call
The 911 call made by Amanda Berry, one of three kidnap victims who
police say were held in a Cleveland basement for a decade, is under
review after possible procedural errors by the dispatcher.
"While the call-taker complied with policies and procedures which
enabled a very fast response by police, we have noted some concerns
which will be the focus of our review, including the call-taker's
failure to remain on the line with Ms. Berry until police arrived on the
scene," Martin L. Flask, the director of the Cleveland Department of
Public Safety told Fox8.com.
In the 911 transcript, the operator interacts with Berry. At one
point, after Berry asks for a police, the operator responds, "We're
going to send them as soon as we get a car open."
The call ends with the dispatcher assuring Berry that police are en
route and said, 'I told you they’re on their way; talk to them when
they get there, OK."
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