Six People Arrested After Man with Multiple Broken Bones Escaped Week-Long Torture: Police

Aaron Bradshaw, 49, Austin Bradshaw, 23, Michael Esqueda, 28, Martina Jones (also known as Martina Esqueda), 28, Chance Johnston, 27, and David Cessna, 26, are all facing felony charges of first-degree kidnapping to terrorize or inflict serious physical harm, according to Law & Crime.

Three victims are facing additional charges in Maumee Municipal Court: Cessna with second-degree domestic violence, Esquada with second-degree felonious assault, and Jones with second-degree felonious assault and domestic violence to a household member.

According to The Toledo Blade, there is an “implied domestic relationship between Mr. Cessna and the victim,” but it was not explained when the suspects made their first appearance in Toledo Municipal Court on Monday.

ABC affiliate WTVG reports that the victim was a 26-year-old-man, who has not been identified. He was allegedly kidnapped on March 14, per police documentation, and held for a week, during which he was subjected to continuous abuse and suffering.

A spokesperson for the city of Maumee told the outlet that Maumee police believe the ordeal began in Toledo before moving to a Red Roof Inn, where four of the suspects were reportedly staying. The address on file for the Bradshaws is in Toledo.

According to the arrest affidavit for the six suspects, after the victim was kidnapped and moved to the hotel, he endured beatings by hand and with a metal baseball bat. He reportedly has multiple fractures and broken bones, with WTOL11 reporting police documents detailed injuries all over his body.

“He was being essentially tortured, assaulted, over the time frame of a week,” Maumee Chief of Police Josh Sprow told WTVG. “His injuries were results of being struck with a baseball bat, struck with fists, elbows, stomping on him when he was on the ground — which over time resulted in multiple fractured bones.”

Additionally, the suspect was allegedly forced to stand for “extended periods of time,” was only given food and drink once per day, and reported to police getting approximately 10 hours sleep total across that seven-day span.

According to Sprow, Jones was the one “calling the shots” in both the kidnapping and assault. Investigators uncovered that she has a purported romantic relationship with the other suspects, and reportedly has multiple children by them.

“It’s clearly a strange situation when you have multiple adult men involved in a relationship with a female and then this whole felonious assault, kidnapping taking place,” said Sprow. “Definitely not something that is normally happening in our city.”

As for how the victim escaped, Sprow said that he was let out on occasion by the suspects, including on Friday when he made his escape.

“Friday he was allowed to leave the room to go to Speedway,” Sprow told WTVG. “When he was there he made contact with an individual, who got in contact with the victim’s mother. When she was contacted by this literally a stranger — she knew something was up.”

According to Sprow, the victim’s mother went to the Red Roof Inn where he was allegedly being held as Maumee Police were called to the hotel for a disturbance report. Police then obtained warrants and began watching the hotel, according to WTVG, leading to the arrests.

The outlet further reports that police uncovered evidence that the group had been planning to flee the area, but were arrested before they had the opportunity to implement that plan.

Speaking in court on Monday, as covered by The Blade, assistant city prosecutor Andy Lastra called the case “extremely disturbing,” while saying that “the totality” of the victim’s “injuries has not been determined.”

Police are still attempting to uncover a motive as they investigate the Red Roof Inn and a different location in Toledo.

The suspects are all being held at the Lucas County Corrections Center on $200,000 bond each, per The Blade. They have not yet entered a plea, per WGTV

A preliminary hearing for all six defendants in Toledo court is set for April 1. The three defendants in Maumee court made their first appearance via video Tuesday morning.