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Who Is Tanya Kach? Exploring Real-Life Story Behind Lifetime Movie The Girl Locked Upstairs
Tanya Kach's story received national attention, and now it's the focus of a new film to be released this weekend. Know all about her!
Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse.
In 1996, a 14-year-old girl, Tanya Kach went missing from McKeesport, but ten years later, she was found after being held captive by a middle school security guard. The story gained national attention and is now the focus of a new film. Kach uses her story to raise awareness about the experiences of young victims today.
Kach, who escaped a decade of captivity, carries the trauma and mental anguish. Despite the trauma, she credits her faith for helping her through.
Who is Tanya Kach?
Tanya Kach is an American woman who was held captive for ten years by a security guard who worked at the school she attended. Her captor, Thomas Hose, eventually pleaded guilty to involuntary deviant sexual intercourse and other related offenses and was sentenced to five to fifteen years in prison. Ultimately, he ended up serving the full 15 years.
Thomas Hose, a security guard at Cornell Middle School in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, befriended eighth-grade student Kach, often taking her out of classes to talk. One day, Hose kissed Kach when he caught her skipping class. Over time, Hose convinced Kach to run away from her family and move in with him, at the age of 14.
For the first four years, she was not allowed out of the house. Hose lived with his parents and son, and went to great lengths to keep Kach hidden from them. She was confined entirely to his second-story bedroom and had to go to the toilet in a bucket.
In 2000, Hose created a new identity for Kach, Nikki Allen, and introduced her to his parents as his girlfriend who would be moving in with them. After this, she was occasionally allowed to leave the house but had a strict curfew.
Kach discovered her relationship with Hose was abnormal and escaped captivity in March 2006. She befriended Joe Sparico, a grocery store owner in her neighborhood, who helped her reveal her true identity and requested police to the house.
Hose pleaded guilty in 2007 to involuntary deviant sexual intercourse, aggravated indecent assault, statutory sexual assault, child custody interference, minor corruption, and child endangerment. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison and released in 2022, registering as a sex offender.
Kach was happy to be reunited with her family but has since become estranged from her father and her stepmother, who consider that she is partly responsible for what happened to her. Since her marriage in September 2018, she has had a stepdaughter and stepson and is a grandmother to her stepson’s young children.
Since her escape, Kach attempted to sue numerous government organizations for their failing of her, including the police and school board. All were dismissed. She has also written a New York Times bestselling book titled Memoir of a Milk Carton Kid: The Tanya Nicole Kach Story.
Tanya Kach shares her story ahead of The Girl Locked Upstairs movie premiere
KDKA-TV's Kym Gable met Tanya Kach and sat down with her ahead of the Lifetime movie premiere on Saturday, The Girl Locked Upstairs. Kach wants to turn her harrowing ordeal into hope and healing for others.
"Things have not changed, grooming has not changed. None of that has changed in all these years, there's still people out there grooming young girls," Kach said.
She further shared, "I prayed every day, all day, never stopped praying and whenever he finally let me out, I found a church and I went to it. God got me through that."
When asked why didn't she just run away, Kach replied, "It's the brainwashing and the mind control. He trained me back then and gave me specific instruction on where to go, what to do, when to come back."
The Girl Locked Upstairs, produced by Elizabeth Smart, who herself was kidnapped and held captive at age 14. "We've talked, personally have talked. What a great survivor she is as well," Kach said.
Kach, supported by family and friends, aims to turn her past darkness into a light for others. She highlights the suffering of many victims, including those who are not physically imprisoned but are victims of mental, verbal, and sexual abuse, manipulation, and gaslighting.
"I don't want this happening again. I don't want this happening to another young girl. If I can prevent this from happening, I'm more than happy," she said.
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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