Crowds cheer

Amanda Marie Berry, missing since April 2003, when she was 16, is pictured age-progressed to 26 years old in an undated handout poster released by the Ohio Attorney General on May 6, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Crowds on the street where the women were found cheered as police cars drove into the cordoned-off area around the house.

Berry was last seen leaving her job at a fast-food restaurant to go home on the day before her 17th birthday.

City Councilwoman Dona Brady, a friend of the family, told Reuters that Berry's grief-stricken mother had died at age 47, essentially from a broken heart.

A cousin of DeJesus, Sheila Figaro, told CNN that the girl's mother, Nancy, "never gave up faith knowing that her daughter would one day be found. What a phenomenal Mother's Day gift she gets this Mother's Day."

The suspects' uncle, Caesar Castro, who owns a grocery store on the same street, said Ariel Castro owned the house where the women were found. He added that members of his family and the family of DeJesus "grew up together."

"Everyone is shocked," said the elder Castro. He said he had known Ariel Castro to be "a good guy" and a musician who played the bass.

Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson said, "I am thankful that Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight have been found alive."

"We have many unanswered questions regarding this case, and the investigation will be ongoing," he added.