10 people, including 6 children, taken into custody as Philadelphia basement captives case widens

(CBS/KYW/AP) PHILADELPHIA - Police took ten people into custody Tuesday, including six children, in connection with their case against Linda Weston, Gregory Thomas and Eddie Wright,  the three adults who allegedly kept four mentally incapacitated adults captive in a basement in northeast Philadelphia.

Pictures: Mentally disabled locked in Philadelphia basement

"We found out there were a number of juveniles involved in this that had traveled with them from Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Florida," Capt. Jack McGinnis with the Philadelphia Police Department, reports CBS affiliate KYW.

Of the six children, whose ages range from 2 to 19, one has been identified as Weston's niece, who was reported missing in 2009.

"She appears to be severely malnourished and looks like she's probably been beaten over a large portion of her life," Capt. McGinnis said.

Police say it doesn't appear the children were held captive in the sub-basement. But several of the children were found malnourished and more tests are needed to figure out who their parents are.

Two of them, however, could belong to one of Weston's victims, Tamara Breeden.

"That's a possibility. We've had some information through some interviews the two of them may be. I don't want to say they are until we found out," Capt. McGinnis added.

Weston, Thomas and Wright were arrested Saturday night for their involvement in the alleged kidnapping and are facing charges of criminal conspiracy, aggravated assault, kidnapping, criminal trespass, unlawful restraint, false imprisonment and related offenses.

Four adults -- three men and one woman -- were found locked in a room, suffering from malnutrition.

Officials say the adults, three of whom were identified as Tamara Breeden, Derwin McLemire, and Herbert Knowles, were found locked inside a room in the basement of a Philadelphia home.

The victims were there for a little over a week, but their ordeal started several years ago. Police say the victims were transported from Texas to Florida and then finally confined to the basement in northeast Philadelphia.

Police believe Weston was gaining control of her captives Social Secuirty disability checks. At the time of her arrest, she was found with at least 50 identification cards and documents, police say.

According to court documents, Weston was found guilty in 1984 for murdering her sister's boyfriend by locking him in a closet and refusing to feed him for two months. Weston was released after serving eight years.