Did someone post a news update upthread that said a police truck was backed into the basement area that contained the lab?
Our basement here at home is finished, but not waterproofed. It is an older building and the basement walls get damp, so the drywall was placed 6 inches or so away from the cement block foundation walls. Other homes in our neighborhood have even more space between the foundation and drywall in finished basements. Enough for a child or small adult to walk through.
Our drywall walls also don't go up all the way. There is a space between the ceiling and the top of the drywall, where our children have accidentally thrown toys. They are lost forever in the cavity between the cement block and drywall.
I wonder if the basement in 10 Amistad was finished similarly, where there was ceiling access to a hidden area between the foundation and the wall. Someone as light as Annie probably wouldn't be difficult for a strong person to lift, particularly if they stood on a table or counter.
Poor Annie and poor Jonathan. What a nightmare.