At 14, Tanya befriended her school security guard. He held her captive for 10 years.

At 14 years old, Tanya Kach had no idea her life was about to change forever.

She was supposed to be navigating the challenges of adolescence — making friends, figuring out her interests, and settling into ninth grade at a new school. Instead, she would spend the next decade hidden away, trapped in a nightmare no one knew about.

Tanya had moved to McKeesport, Pennsylvania, with her dad, Jerry, and his new girlfriend, JoAnn, after her parents' divorce. Adjusting to her new life was tough. She was shy, afraid, and became an easy target for bullies.

Home wasn't a refuge either. She clashed with JoAnn, and according to Jerry, she often "resented" the couple's authority.

There was nowhere Tanya felt safe. She frequently ran away, desperate to escape a life where she felt trapped. But each time, she returned home within a day.

Until February 10, 1996. That morning, Jerry and JoAnn woke up to find Tanya gone. This time, she didn't come back.

For 10 years, no one knew what had happened to her. Then, on March 20, 2006, a girl named Nikki Diane Allen broke down at work in a local convenience store. Through tears, she revealed she was being held hostage by a man. Nikki wasn't her real name.

It was Tanya.

Watch the trailer for the Lifetime movie based on Tanya's story, The Girl Locked Upstairs. Post continues below.

What happened to Tanya Kach?

Tanya was struggling, lonely, and in desperate need of support.

A school security guard Thomas "Tom" Hose, then 38, noticed and offered friendship. He gave her a shoulder to cry on, reassuring her when she was bullied. He also gave her gifts — at first, cigarettes and then, jewellery, A&E reports.

"He would take me out of class just to talk to me," she told People.

But Thomas had a sinister motive. He was grooming Tanya for something horrific.

Their relationship took a dark turn when Thomas caught her skipping class one day. That was when he decided to test her boundaries.

"He leaned in, and that was the first time he kissed me," she explained. "He told me I should leave and be with him forever."

Vulnerable and struggling, Tanya thought this could be her way out, her chance at a fresh start. She had no idea what was waiting for her behind Thomas' walls.

Thomas Hose groomed Tanya and held her captive for 10 years. Image: AAP.

The decade-long captivity.

After she vanished, Jerry initially thought it was another case of Tanya running away. But as days turned into weeks with no sign of her, his worry grew. On February 14, he officially reported her missing.

Meanwhile, Thomas had put his grand plan into action.

According to People, he sent Tanya to his friend Judy Sokol, a hairstylist who dyed Tanya's hair to alter her appearance. Tanya stayed at Sokol's home for several weeks. It was there Thomas got Tanya drunk and raped her for the first time.

Eventually, he moved her to his home, where he lived with his parents and 22-year-old son. Tanya was confined to his bedroom, forced to stay quiet and hidden from his family.

She had no bathroom, only a bucket, and could only shower in the basement in the middle of the night, she told A&E. She survived on Thomas's leftovers and had only a TV and books for entertainment.

The abuse was relentless. Thomas made her document the horrific sexual violence in a calendar.

As the grim reality of this new life set in, Tanya was desperate to escape.

"Whenever I tried to, that's when he'd threaten my life. He'd threaten to kill me in my sleep, throw me in a garbage bag and throw me in the river," she told A&E.

Terrified, she gave up hope of leaving.

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How did Tanya Kach escape?

In the spring of 2000, everything changed.

It had been four years since her abduction, with Tanya now 18.

Thomas gave her a new identity, Nikki Diane Allen, and introduced her to his family as his girlfriend.

After four years trapped in his home, Tanya was finally allowed outside to run errands. But she never considered it freedom. Many have asked her why didn't she just run, but she says it wasn't that simple.

"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," she told CBS News.

But Tanya had finally had enough. Unbeknown to Thomas, she started working a few hours a day at a local convenience store. There, she witnessed the owners, Joe and Janet Sparico, have a healthy, loving relationship — one that looked nothing like hers and Thomas'. For the first time, she began plotting her escape.

On March 20, 2006, Tanya reached breaking point.

After 10 years with Thomas, she broke down at work and revealed her true identity, telling Joe that he had been holding her captive. Later that day, Joe called the police. They arrived at Thomas' home and rescued Tanya, per A&E.

At the police station, she was finally reunited with her father. She collapsed into his arms, sobbing.

"We cried, we laughed, it was a plethora of emotions," Jerry told People.

Tanya Kach leaving court. Image: AAP.

What happened to Thomas Hose?

Thomas was arrested and charged with a string of offences. However, because Tanya had gone with him willingly, he was never charged with kidnapping.

In the end, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

In 2022, he was released and registered as a sex offender. Thomas and Tanya still live in the same city. She said she fears running into him one day.

"I don't want to look into the eyes of the man who did such horrible, horrendous things to me. I hope he lives the rest of his life in that house," she told People. "I hope he rots in that house."

Judy Sokol was sentenced to 23 months in prison for statutory sexual assault, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, indecent assault and corruption of a minor over her role in dyeing Tanya's hair to hide her identity and allowing Thomas to rape Tanya in her home, according to New Castle News.

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Where is Tanya Kach now?

Tanya is still living with the trauma of her captivity, but she is determined to share her story to raise awareness about the dangers of grooming.

"I went through some intense, intense therapy. I had Stockholm Syndrome, [a theory that explains why hostages can develop psychological bonds with their captors as a coping mechanism]. So they had to convince me that it wasn't my fault," she told A&E.

She had to learn how to be Tanya again. To live as her own person, free from Thomas.

"I am still in therapy after 18 years, which is perfectly fine. It's O.K., because you have to take care of your mental state… My mind was broken, and it had to be fixed," she said.

Tanya found she could lean on her mum, who she still shares a good relationship with today. However, her relationship with her father and JoAnn became strained after they felt she "blamed" them for what happened.

Tanya and her husband Karl. Image: Instagram/libragirl1481.

Tanya now speaks at schools and organisations about her experience, turning her trauma into a warning for others. She urges people to be aware of the signs of grooming — criticism of family and friends, isolation, controlling behaviour, and excessive gifts, especially from an older person.

Last year, Tanya's story was turned into a Lifetime movie, The Girl Locked Upstairs. And she hasn't stopped there.

Tanya married her now husband, Karl McCrum, in 2018. She wants people to know that no matter how dark things seem, there is always a way forward.

"You always have to hold that hope," she said.

Feature image: Instagram/libragirl1481, AAP.