On a quiet spring afternoon in Cleveland, Ohio, a woman walked into a store — frightened, shaking, and desperate. She told a stranger that someone was being held in a basement, injured, and possibly dying. The stranger hesitated, then made a call to 911 that would set off a chain of events more chilling than anyone could have imagined.

When police first arrived at the house in question, there was no blood, no screams, and no clear sign of a crime. Just loud music, a man who wouldn’t stop talking, and a strange tension that hung in the air like thick smoke.

But what began as a routine welfare check would, within hours, turn into a nightmare case — one involving a hidden porch compartment, a paralyzed woman, and a story that raised unsettling questions about what goes unseen behind closed doors.

The First Call: A Whisper in the Dark
On May 2, 2023, a 911 operator in Cleveland picked up a call from a woman who couldn’t shake off what she had just heard. Another woman — visibly terrified — had told her that someone was tied up in a basement nearby. She didn’t know the address. She didn’t have proof. But she believed her.

Minutes later, officers from the Cleveland Police Department arrived at the location. The house was quiet except for blaring music coming from the back. It took several minutes of knocking before someone answered.

The man who opened the door — Delante Edmund Guyger — seemed more worried about the police presence than the accusation itself. “Y’all can’t be here like this,” he told them, pacing nervously. He claimed to be a confidential informant for law enforcement, repeatedly saying their visit was putting his “life in danger.”

When asked about the woman, he laughed it off. “There ain’t nobody tied up in the basement,” he insisted. He denied entry, grew increasingly agitated, and eventually convinced the officers to leave after a brief conversation outside.

The Growing Suspicion
But something didn’t sit right with the responding officers. His erratic behavior, the loud music he kept turning up, the constant stalling — all of it felt off. “My only fear,” one officer later said, “is there’s somebody really in the basement.”

Later that night, another tip came in. A woman claimed the same man had shown her disturbing photos of a woman tied up, warning that she “could be next.” That was enough for the police to return.

The Second Visit: Midnight at the House
This time, when officers knocked, Delante was more cooperative — at least on the surface. He apologized for his earlier behavior and invited them through the back. But before they even entered, one officer standing near the front heard a noise: muffled, irregular, almost like someone trying not to be heard.

Inside, the basement appeared empty again. No woman, no struggle. Just a strange smell, old furniture, and the heavy beat of music pounding through the walls. But officers weren’t leaving this time without a full search.

“Who’s out there?”
As the music finally went silent, officers began to hear it clearly — the faint sound of movement coming from under the front porch. One officer shone a flashlight through a narrow gap.

Then came a voice.

“I’m paralyzed,” a woman whispered. “My name is Cheryl.”

Under the porch, hidden beneath a makeshift hatch, officers found a 60-year-old woman, Cheryl Cyrus, wedged inside a plastic container. Her legs were twisted, she was unable to move, and her body bore visible injuries.

Police carefully cut open the container and called EMS. Cheryl told them she had been trapped for days. Her voice was weak, but she was conscious.

“I can breathe now,” she said softly.

Delante Edmund Guyger was immediately taken into custody as the woman was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.

Inside the Investigation
In the days that followed, detectives pieced together a grim timeline. Cheryl had reportedly been at Delante’s house for several days. He accused her of “snitching” and — by his own later admission — beat her, tied her, and moved her around the house.

He claimed he “never meant to kill her,” but also admitted to hiding her under the porch while blasting music to muffle any sound.

Cheryl’s Fight to Survive
Cheryl survived — but barely. In the hospital, she was treated for multiple fractures, a collapsed lung, broken ribs, and spinal damage. She remained paralyzed and on life support for weeks.

The Courtroom Reckoning
Six months later, in November 2023, Delante Edmund Guyger stood before a judge. He pleaded guilty to kidnapping, assault, weapon possession under disability, and tampering with evidence. The judge, visibly shaken, said:

“I’ve never seen an offense like this in my time on the bench.”

Delante was sentenced to 16 to 20 years in prison, with a projected release date of April 2039.

Why It Matters
The case left the community shaken — not only because of its brutality but because the police had been at the house hours before finding Cheryl, and left without searching thoroughly. The case raised hard questions about procedure, assumptions, and how easily someone can be silenced — sometimes literally.

“What would you have done if you were that first officer?”
“Do you think the police should have searched the house the first time?”
“How many similar cases might be hidden behind closed doors?”