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Police describe "prison room" in Houston home where several reportedly held captive

Several were allegedly held captive at a Houston home. KHOU

Updated 3:42 p.m. (CBS) Police are investigating reports of several people apparently held captive in a northwest Houston home, CBS Houston reports. Officers reportedly described what they called a "prison room" in the home and said a man told them he had been held captive for about 10 years.

Four men, ages 79, 54, 74 and about 65, may have been held against their will and one reported being held captive for about ten years, CBS Houston reports. Houston police said Friday the four elderly men were held in "deplorable" conditions."

Three men were found in a locked garage and a fourth in the home, Houston police said. The three discovered in the "prison room" were physically unable to walk and transported to a local hospital, CBS Houston reports.

The garage room that had burglar bars and locked doors, reports CBS affiliate KHOU. No furnishings were inside the room, with the exception of one chair, the station reports.

Police Sgt. Steven Murdock said the men may have been held so that a captor could cash checks the men were receiving. At least one of the men is a military veteran, but it's unclear whether the men were forced to turn over Social Security checks or other types of payments. 

He described the men as malnourished and "almost invalids."

Jodi Silva, a Houston Police spokesperson, said Friday that some of the men could possibly be homeless and were "enticed to go there." She said the victims were lured with the promise of cigarettes and food and not allowed to leave.

The men were believed to have been locked in a room with no access to a restroom and given scraps to eat. Several women were also inside the house who are witnesses, police said.

Houston police said a concerned neighbor called police.

One person is in custody.

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