"Bathroom Prison": Teen Girl Locked Up, Beaten, Hungry, Escapes Months of Parents' Abuse, Say Cops

By: Kealan Oliver
Topics: Daily Blotter

(AP Photo/Maricopa County Sheriff)

PHOENIX (CBS/AP) A 14-year-old Phoenix girl, malnourished and fed only every day or two, sat locked in a bathroom next to a 5-gallon bucket containing human waste for two months, until she escaped through an attic, according to police.

Photo: Scott Bass' mugshot.

Authorities say the teen was also beaten with rods and belts and pulled by the hair when she couldn't withstand the exercises her father, Scott Bass, forced her to do. Bass told investigators he locked his daughter in the bathroom because she stole food from the kitchen and cheated on a home-school test.

The father and stepmother have both been arrested.

Photo: Andrea Bass' mugshot.

Scott Bass, 33, and stepmother Andrea Bass, 31, were arrested Feb. 4 for investigation of child abuse, kidnapping and unlawful imprisonment. Andrea Bass was released Tuesday after posting a $36,000 bond. She told investigators she didn't know the girl was locked in the bathroom.

The teen told police her father gave her crackers or maybe a can of food every day or two. She used a blanket on the floor as her bed.

After escaping, she fled her house on her bike, and at a nearby movie theatre a concerned couple gave her $50. She then rode 13 miles to a Phoenix strip mall where she bought water, food, a backpack and clothes.

After that, the girl rode to a coffee shop in Scottsdale, where she asked an employee to call police.

When police arrived at the Bass house, her father was "visibly surprised" when he unlocked the bathroom door and her daughter was gone.

The Phoenix girl told police that at a previous home she was forced to sleep on an outdoor patio for five months, locked in a closet for a week and locked in a bathroom for a week. She is now in the custody of Child Protective Services.

The four other children living in the Bass home showed no signs of abuse, officials said.

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by Georgeyporgy July 28, 2010 9:49 AM EDT

I don't want to make light of this girl's suffering, but some of what this story says just doesn't make sense.

Did police actually see some of this stuff, or are they just taking it on the word of a possibly rebellious teenager?

I mean the bucket of waste makes no sense whatsoever. She's locked in a bathroom, with a bucket of waste? Hello, am I the only one who's asking, what about the toilet there? This would indicate that it's more likely she refused to use the toilet so that she'd have more to pin on her parents when she lied to the police about being abused.

If she was actually malnurished, then that's actual evidence of her being abused. This story doesn't say much, so it's hard to determine if it's just a rebellious teenager taking her frustrations out on her parents and just playing the game of making it look like she was abused, or if she was legitimately abused. You know people and kids are getting more and more bold about things today. It would not suprise me to see an angry 14 year old in a disfunctional family getting back at her parents by doing something like this. Kids aren't stupid either, they know from school and tv what the police will likely believe.

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by Georgeyporgy July 28, 2010 9:51 AM EDT: That's why the police and the county need to really take this serious and really investigate. Don't just take the girl's word for it.


by glamour13 August 13, 2010 7:31 PM EDT: Confirm her story? As if her being underweight and other injuries isn't enough to take seriously? Do you know what 25% percentile means? 75% of girls her age weight more than her.
Yeah, 'just don't take the girl's word for it'. I'm sure she shut off the water in the bathroom, put a blanket and a bucket of waste in there, changed the lock on the door so it locks from the outside.. just to get back at dad. You know. Because angry teens are creative.


by national1942 February 11, 2010 3:08 PM EST: I HATE criminals like this 'father' and step-mother. I hope they hang by their toenails but they will probably just get a slap on the wrist...if even that. And the step-mother says she didn't know the girl was locked in the bathroom? What a crock of bologna. Where the heck did she think she was? Thank God for her escape. What a life of hell on earth that must have been. You go young lady. Live your life and be FREE. God Bless You.; Reply to this comment