Two people face kidnapping and assault-related charges after a maintenance worker heard the woman crying for help, according to court records and police.
FARGO, ND — A woman was rescued from a Fargo apartment after a maintenance worker heard cries for help and discovered her chained to a bed, leading to the arrests of two people accused of holding her against her will for an extended period, authorities and court records say.
The woman told investigators she had not been allowed outside for about two years after being brought to Fargo from Mexico in 2024 by her former husband, 40-year-old Arturo Calzada-Becerril, according to court documents reported by Valley News Live. Calzada-Becerril, of Fargo, and 41-year-old Erendira Amoles, of Moorhead, Minnesota, were arrested after the Nov. 3 discovery. Both later appeared in court on kidnapping charges and additional assault-related counts. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Fargo police said officers were sent to an apartment building in the 4900 block of 44th Avenue South after a maintenance worker entered a unit for routine service and found an adult woman in a bedroom who appeared to have been held against her will. Police initially described the arrests as being for felonious restraint involving an adult victim and said the investigation was in its early stages.
According to court records cited by local news reports, the maintenance worker told police he had heard the woman crying for help before entering the apartment. An officer who responded reported finding a chain and padlock secured around the woman’s right ankle, with the other end attached to the bed. A security camera was pointed toward the bed, and the bedroom windows had been covered with foil, the documents said.
Police freed the woman and interviewed her with the assistance of an interpretation service because she did not speak English, according to the court documents. She was then taken to a hospital. Investigators reported seeing bruising on her face and body. The woman told authorities she had been confined inside the apartment and had not been permitted to go outdoors for about two years.
The woman also alleged that Calzada-Becerril brought her food twice a day but prevented her from leaving the bedroom to use a bathroom, forcing her to use a bucket instead. She further accused Calzada-Becerril and Amoles of beating and sexually assaulting her during the period of confinement. Those accusations remain allegations, and local reports said sexual-offense charges had not been announced as of Nov. 6.
Court documents say Calzada-Becerril acknowledged restraining the woman but gave investigators a different explanation for why she was confined. He told police that he locked her up so she would not run away and also raised concerns about alleged drug use, according to local reports. Amoles told investigators that she often locked the woman up, the records said. The defendants also accused the woman of previously assaulting them, including in an alleged encounter involving a knife. Those competing claims have not been established in court.
Prosecutors offered another possible explanation during the defendants’ first court appearance Nov. 6. They alleged that the woman, who authorities said is a U.S. citizen, had been kept under control in connection with efforts by the defendants to obtain immigration status. Authorities have not publicly detailed the full basis for that allegation, and the investigation remains active.
Calzada-Becerril and Amoles each face a kidnapping charge, according to Valley News Live, with Calzada-Becerril also facing a domestic violence-related assault count and Amoles facing an assault count. A judge set bond at $500,000 for each defendant during their first court appearance. Police said they are working with the Cass County State’s Attorney’s Office as investigators continue gathering evidence and determining the full circumstances of the case.
Residents of the south Fargo apartment complex told Valley News Live they were shocked by the allegations and said they had not known anyone was reportedly being held inside the building. Fargo police have said the case remains under investigation, and authorities have not announced a final determination about the full length or circumstances of the woman’s confinement.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.