Jordende Pierre Charged in 6-Week Boston Attic Captivity Case

Q: How was a woman allegedly kept in a Malden attic for six weeks before a water leak exposed the case?

She was allegedly kept hidden in an unfinished, uninhabitable attic and discovered only after a water leak prompted the landlord to inspect the property. According to prosecutors and police reports, Jordende Pierre allegedly brought the woman to the Summer Street house about six weeks earlier after meeting her on a dating app. Investigators say he isolated her in the attic, removed the door handle so she could not leave, gave her drugs, sexually assaulted her, and forced her to have sex with men he arranged to visit the property. Police said the money from those encounters went to Pierre. The attic itself appears to explain how the situation remained concealed. Officers described it as dimly lit, cluttered with trash and exposed insulation, with no one supposed to be living there. The woman was found on a mat near a five-gallon bucket of urine, in poor physical condition, disoriented, dirty, and apparently malnourished. Authorities also said her access to food was limited. The case came to light on Sept. 20 when the landlord, Qing Sun, and her husband went to the building to investigate a leak. They said people at the property initially blocked access to some areas, but they eventually reached the attic and found the woman. One man reportedly ran past them, and they called 911. Sun said Pierre was not a listed tenant and that she did not know anyone was living in the attic. Pierre has pleaded not guilty and is being held pending a dangerousness hearing.

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Sep 29

A woman was found in an attic in Malden, near Boston, after police were called to the house by the landlord on Sept. 20, authorities said.
Jordende Pierre, 29, was later arrested and charged with kidnapping, sex trafficking for sexual servitude, and indecent assault and battery after investigators said she had been held about six weeks.
Prosecutors said Pierre met the woman on a dating app, sexually assaulted her, and forced her to have sex with other men who came to the property.
Pierre pleaded not guilty at a Friday arraignment, and a detention hearing is set for Oct. 6; authorities have not identified the woman or disclosed her age.