After 11 years in captivity, Michelle Knight is reluctant to see her family as she recuperates in a Cleveland hospital. Knight, along with Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus, was held captive by Ariel Castro until she was rescued May 6.
Knight's mother and grandmother flew up to Cleveland from Florida to be reunited with Knight, but she refused to see them, according to Reuters.
"No, we haven't - on her request. She does not want to be seen by family," Knight's grandmother Deborah Knight told Reuters.
A conflicting report by CBS News says that Knight met with her mother briefly on Wednesday night but the meeting was tense, according to a relative.
Deborah Knight had previously told reporters that the family had held on to the belief that Michelle had run away from the family angry that she had lost custody of her child.
Knight's grandmother was also able to confirm speculation that Knight would need facial reconstruction surgery following trauma that she experienced while in captivity.
"When she was severely beaten, he had beat her so bad in the face, she has to have facial reconstruction, and she's lost hearing in one ear," Deborah Knight told WOIO-TV.
Freddie Knight, Michelle's brother, was able to meet with his sister once. He has not been visited again in person but has spoken with her on the phone on the recommendation of hospital workers, according to Reuters.
"Her skin was white as a ghost," Freddie Knight said of his sister. "She told me she was excited to start a new life."
Shortly before Knight was released from Metro Medical Center the hospital released a statement on her behalf.
"Michelle Knight is in good spirits and would like the community to know that she is extremely grateful for the outpouring of flowers and gifts," the statement read. "She is especially thankful for the Cleveland Courage Fund. She asks that everyone please continue to respect her privacy at this time."
