Arturo Calzada-Becerril and Erendira Amoles charged for kidnapping victim found restrained in Fargo apartment

Arturo Calzada-Becerril and Erendira Amoles charged for kidnapping victim found restrained in Fargo apartment

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A maintenance worker’s call to an apartment building in Fargo led to the discovery of a woman chained to a bed, prompting the arrest of two individuals on kidnapping charges. The worker, responding to a service call at 4911 44th Avenue South, heard cries for help inside a third-floor unit and, upon entry, found the victim restrained in a bedroom with a security camera pointed at her.

The woman, who required a foreign language translator during her initial interview with police, told officers she had been brought to Fargo from Mexico in 2024 and had not been allowed outside for two years. She was freed from her chains using bolt cutters and later treated at a hospital for visible bruising on her arms, legs, and face. During a subsequent interview with a Spanish-speaking agent from the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the victim claimed she was married to Arturo Calzada-Becerril, the apartment’s occupant, and did not wish to be any longer.

Arrest and Initial Statements

As police investigated, Erendira Amoles, 41, arrived at the apartment and identified Calzada-Becerril, 40, as its owner. She told officers Calzada-Becerril was a trucker who would be returning soon. Meanwhile, the victim described a life of captivity, stating Calzada-Becerril brought her food twice daily and that she used a bucket in the room as a bathroom. She alleged that Calzada-Becerril and Amoles had pinned her down, beaten, and sexually assaulted her.

Calzada-Becerril and Amoles later appeared at Sanford’s emergency room before driving to the Fargo Police Station. Calzada-Becerril told investigators the three were from the same town in Mexico and claimed the victim’s drug addiction in Mexico had caused mental health issues, prompting them to lock her up to prevent her from seeking drugs again. Amoles admitted she often locked the victim up, stating the woman acted erratically and needed to be chained to prevent her from escaping. Source: Inforum

Conditions of Captivity

The room where the victim was held contained a bed with chains secured to a custom-built headboard, wrapped in a foam pool noodle and fastened with Master Lock brand padlocks. A webcam, which Calzada-Becerril had linked to his phone but was deactivated, faced the bed. The apartment’s windows were covered in tin foil, and the bathroom was secured with a chain and another padlock. Investigators found no evidence that Calzada-Becerril or Amoles sought medical care for the victim or documented any mental health diagnoses or drug rehabilitation efforts.

Legal Proceedings

Both Calzada-Becerril and Amoles were charged in connection with the incident. The victim’s allegations and the physical evidence discovered at the apartment form the basis of the kidnapping charges, while the conditions of her captivity and the alleged abuse are under further investigation. She said that (the victim) acts very erratic and tries to get away if she is not chained up, court documents noted, quoting Amoles’s explanation for the restraints.

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