FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — Five people were rescued from a home in Fort Bend County after they were being held for ransom, deputies said.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office said this was a kidnapping and human smuggling scheme in which the victims -- three men and two women -- were smuggled out of Mexico and held captive until their relatives sent more money than originally agreed upon.
The victims were kept inside a garage with no AC in the Meadows Place subdivision, deputies said. It's unknown how long each person was held hostage, but deputies said they knew at least one person was there for two weeks.
On Aug. 30, one of the five victims was able to escape and ran to a nearby church for help. The people inside the church called 911 and that led to deputies rescuing the other four victims.
Three people have been arrested in connection with this case: Jose Aguirre, 24, Jose Aguirre Martin, 22 and Orlando Noe Betancur Flores, 21. They have different charges ranging from aggravated kidnapping to smuggling.
Sheriff Eric Fagan said more arrests are expected.
The victims have been released to the custody of Homeland Security investigators.
Sheriff Fagan said homeowners should be aware of their surroundings to prevent human smuggling.
"If you see people bringing food to a certain part of the home and not going into the main home, it looks like they bringing food to a certain area, we need the public to be aware of these things and let us know," he said during a press conference about this case.
If you see signs of human trafficking, you are urged to reach out to the national hotline at 888-373-7888. You can also text the word "INFO" to 233733.