Richy Maria Jacob
National headlines were made when three women, who were reported missing for nearly a decade were found in a home in Cleveland. Their tales of suffering would go on to shock the whole nation, especially regarding the nature of their captor who had not only imprisoned them but also inflicted much physical and emotional torture on them. ABC’s ’20/20′ thus brings into focus the experiences of these women both in and out of captivity.
One of the survivors, Amanda Berry, who made the bold dash towards their rescue and freedom, was the mother of a six-year-old girl, she had given birth to in confinement.
Who is Amanda Berry’s Daughter?
Amanda Berry’s daughter, Jocelyn was born to her in 2006, when she was held captive by Ariel Castro at his residence. Berry has extensively talked about the details of her fears and joys of being Jocelyn’s mother, in her book, ‘Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.’ In her book, she recollects how she had her own set of fears, wondering if Castro would even let her have the baby. This is because he made Michelle, her co-captive at the time, abort all of her pregnancies, with blunt force.
She wrote, “I think my mom (sic) sent me this baby. It’s her way of giving me an angel. But I worry about what he’s going to do.” Castro eventually let Berry keep the child. She also wrote about how she had to appeal to his emotions, so that he wouldn’t harm them, “When the baby started kicking, I reached for his hand and placed it on my stomach…I knew the baby would be safer if he was excited about being a new father.”
Michelle Knight was the one who helped with the delivery of the baby. Castro took off their chains when Jocelyn began to notice them. He allegedly even took Jocelyn out to church and meet with his family. Thus, he was often compassionate, when it came to Jocelyn. Castro also helped create a makeshift nursery for Jocelyn at his residence, after which Amanda helped her with learning the alphabets and numbers. Mary Jordan, who helped Berry write her book said, “The most inspiring part of the Amanda Berry story is that she created a little school in the house on Seymour Avenue.”
Even after Berry’s escape and reunion with her family, she has continuously worked on taking care of her daughter. When asked how she feels about Castro being the father of her daughter, she said, “ This is his kid, you know, how do I feel about that?… She resembled him a lot, and I would look at her and I just felt like, she’s mine. She’s mine.”
Where is Jocelyn Now?
Jocelyn continues to live with her mom and will be 14 this year. Berry seems to be on guard when it comes to the privacy of her daughter. Robin Roberts who interviewed Amanda Berry for ’20/20’ said, “…Jocelyn is getting older, she is finding out more and more [about her father], and how she’s delicately handling that…” Thus, one can hope that Jocelyn, is able to successfully transition into understanding the details of her mother’s former years in captivity, as she grows up. (Feature Photo Credit: GMA, ABC)
Read More: Where is Michelle Knight Now?
