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From hiding keys to seeking neighbor's help: How brave Texas twins, 16, planned escape from torture house

The twins' daring attempt reportedly began when the boy hid the handcuff keys in his mouth and later helped his sister uncuff 

If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.

HARRIS COUNTY, TEXAS: Zaikiya Duncan, 40, and her boyfriend Jova Terrell, 27, from Texas, who abused two teenagers aged 16, were arrested on Tuesday, October 18. Meanwhile, the story of the sister-brother duo is worth a mention. The daring attempt by the twins reportedly began as the boy hid the keys of the handcuff in his mouth; later, he helped his sister, revealed DailyMail.

They waited to make their escape until their mother and her boyfriend were sleeping, reported NBC. The twins unlocked each other's handcuffs around 5 am on Tuesday, October 18, and ran around their neighborhood in Cypress, Texas. Later, they knocked on the doors of various neighbors, and a woman extended a helping hand, which led to their horrible story being revealed to the world, reported DailyMail.

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The neighbor who saved them wished to stay anonymous, spoke to Good Morning America, and revealed on Friday, October 21, "Their hands were so swollen, their poor hands were bigger than the rest of their bodies. She was wearing a hoodie. She reached into her hoodie and showed me the handcuffs and she was like, ‘we just escaped,’” the neighbor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said. Further, she added, “It was about 5:20 ish, 5:24, when they started ringing the doorbell."

Meanwhile, she revealed about the first interaction with the children, "They said, 'Can you help us? Can you help us?'" the woman said. "They were so skinny and so frail. They just looked like they had been through a lot," reported The Sun. "She kept shaking and she was like, 'my mom has kept us locked up in the laundry room'", the woman said. “Just scratches and bruises all over his arm. Both of them had severe scars around their wrists,” reported 7news.

Jeff McShan, a spokesman for the county constable's office also confirmed that the children were restricted from entering the laundry room and "were naked most of the time." The pair have been charged with aggravated assault of a family member, confirmed the police. The children remain hospitalized and will go into the foster system after the duo recover, reports DailyMail. All seven are now in the care of child protection services.

However, Duncan is a mother of seven children, which includes the 16-year-old twins besides 14-year-old Jarod Menin, 12-year-old boys Javion and Javier Menina, 10-year-old Zayden Menina, and seven-year-old Nicholas Menina. The 40-year-old can also be seen sharing their children's pic on her Instagram handle though only posted 15 pictures so far and has also been seen posting dance videos with her children on TikTok. However, she has not posted any pictures or videos of her twins.

However, in the shocking incident, the mother and her boyfriend starved her 16-year-old twins and beat them up, handcuffed them, kept them naked, and forced to eat their own feces also made them drink their own urine. They were also reportedly beaten up with extension cords and also fed only sandwiches twice or thrice a week. The mother-boyfriend duo was arrested on Tuesday, October 18, after the police issued an amber alert at Baton Rouge, Louisana.