Couple 'kept woman and young daughter as slaves for TWO YEARS, forced her to beat her own daughter and kept them in line with snakes and pit bulls'

• Shannon Eckley was kept for nearly two years in an apartment in Ashland, Ohio, starting in May 2011
• Jordie Callahan and Jessica Hunt are accused of locking Eckley and her daughter in their apartment and repeatedly beating both of them
• They allegedly took her government benefits checks and left her little or no money to spend
• Callahan allegedly hit Eckley and then took her to the doctor so she could get a prescription for Vicoden
• Callahan and Hunt then kept the drugs for themselves
• Couple allegedly used poisonous coral snakes, pythons and pit bulls to menace Eckley

By Michael Zennie

Published: 16:41 EDT, 18 June 2013 | Updated: 11:04 EDT, 19 June 2013

A mentally-disabled woman and her five-year-old daughter were held in 'modern-day slavery' for two years by three people in northeast Ohio who abused them and kept them in line with venomous snakes and pit bulls, it was revealed today.

Federal prosecutors say 26-year-old Jordie Callahan and 31-year-old Jessica Hunt utterly manipulated Shannon Eckley - even forcing her to beat her own daughter so they could record it on video. They allegedly told her that if she ever fled her bondage, they would use the footage to ensure her child was taken away from her.

Between May 2011 and October 2012, Eckley and her daughter were locked in the basement of an apartment in Ashland, Ohio, and forced to do housework and look after Hunt's four children. All the while, Callahan and Hunt stole her government benefits and used the money on themselves, authorities say.

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Jessica Hunt, 31, and Jordie Callahan, 26 are accused of keeping Shannon Eckley as a slave for two years - threatening her and milking her of government benefits

Threats: The suspects are accused of threatening to make their snakes and their pit bulls attack Eckley and her daughter if she didn't do their bidding

Eckley's enslavement bears chilling similarity to the case of Ariel Castro, the man who was charged last month with kidnapping three woman and keeping them against their will in his house for ten years while he repeatedly raped, beat and emotionally tortured them.

Castro's house of horrors is located in Cleveland, Ohio, 65miles northeast of Ashland.

Charges filed against Callahan and Hunt reveal that they treated her worse than the numerous dogs and reptiles they kept as pets - even feeding the animals in front of her while depriving her of food and water.

'We are yet again reminded that modern-day slavery exists all around us,' U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach said.

Jordie Callahan, 27, seen here with one of his many pets, was convicted of forced labor, conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to illegally obtain prescription drugs

The Ashland case has dark similarities to last month's revelation in Cleveland that three women had been keep captive for a decade

Daniel Brown is accused of aiding Hunt and Callahan

Authorities say the pair, along with Daniel J. Brown, 33, controlled every aspect of life for Eckley, who is said to have the mental capacity of a 13-year-old girl after she sustained a head injury years ago.

Perhaps the most disturbing allegation against the three is that they forced Eckley to beat her own child - who was just a toddler at the time.

Eckley told investigators that Callahan and Hunt demanded that she hit her daughter and told her that if she did not, they would beat the child even more viciously.

They then recorded a video of the abuse on a cell phone. They told her if she ever 'messed up' or went to police, they would show it to authorities and Eckley's daughter would be taken away from her, according to prosecutors.

When officers first investigated the case in October 2012, Callhan and Hunt showed police the video. Eckley was arrested. In February, she was sentenced to 150 days in jail after pleading guilty to two counts of child endangerment.

Ashland County assistant prosecutor refused to discuss with MailOnline whether county prosecutors believed Eckley's story about being made to hit her child and why they pursued charges if Eckley was under duress at the time of the beatings.

Federal charges allege Callahan and Hunt also repeatedly beat Eckley and her toddler daughter.

When they were not beating them to keep them in line, they used their pets.

The pair kept a poisonous coral snake, a ball python and a Burmese python that weighed 130 pounds as well as lizards, spiders, scorpions and 'numerous' dogs - including pit bulls.

The pair used these pets to terrify and menage Eckley and her young daughter - threatening to turn them loose on the captives if they didn't behave.

Callahan and Hunt live together and allegedly worked together to abuse Eckley

Hunt, who works at Wendy's, is seen handling a snake, as well. The coupled owned numerous pets that they allegedly looked after better than Eckley

Callahan and Hunt have four children who Eckley was forced to clean up after

Callahan posted numerous photos on his Facebook page of he and Hunt handling the creatures. One picture shows a snake coiled around a rat. Another shows Callahan apparently feeding a live chicken to his massive Burmese python.

Callahan also allegedly used a gun to threaten Eckley on one occasion, as well.

Callahan and Hunt invited Eckley and her daughter to come live with them in May 2011. It is unknown how she knew the couple.

Authorities allege she arrived in a living hell. Once she moved in, the pair began treating her as a slave.

They initially locked her in the basement and forced her to sleep on the concrete floor without a mattress.

They deprived her of food - while lavishing attention on their animals.

Callahan allegedly used dogs to threaten Eckley, as well

Eckley was only allowed to eat the leftovers after Callahan, Hunt and Hunt's four children had already eaten.

Once, Eckley said, she and her young daughter had not eaten all day. Instead of giving the leftovers from dinner to her, Callahan gave the food to his dogs and made Eckley watch.

Eckley was not allowed to feed her child fruit or vegetables, but she alleges that she was made to give fresh fruit to an iguana that roamed freely in her bedroom.

The pair allegedly harvested the money Eckley received from government benefits and used the money for themselves.

They also used her to get drugs.

In December 2011, Callahan allegedly bashed Eckley's hand with a rock. He then took her to a doctor - leaving her child at the apartment - and told her to request a prescription for Valium. Once she got the narcotics, Callahan and Hunt used them for themselves.

Callahan and Hunt invited Eckley and her daughter to come live with them in May 2011

They executed the stunt a second time, as well. On that occasion, Callahan kicked Eckley in the hip.

Brown is accused of aiding Callahan and Hunt by allegedly catching Eckley when she tried to escape. Authorities say he lied to her and said he would help her when he saw her outside the apartment.

The couple also allegedly sent Eckley to the store to run errands, though they always kept kept her daughter at the house.

In October 2012, on one of her trips to the store, Eckley was arrested for shoplifting after stealing a candy bar.

She told police that she wanted to go jail because the people she lived with 'were mean to her.'

The officer then questioned Callahan and Hunt, who showed him the video of Eckley beating her child.

Eckley was arrested and charged, but further investigation revealed the the deplorable conditions she was living under, authorities say.