Jaycee Dugard

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped by Phillip Garrido in 1991, at age 11. She spent 18 years in captivity with Garrido—who raped Jaycee repeatedly and impregnated her twice—and his wife, Nancy Garrido.

Synopsis

Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped outside of her home in South Lake Tahoe, California, on June 10, 1991, at age 11. Her captor, convicted rapist Phillip Garrido, raped Jaycee repeatedly, fed her countless lies and impregnated her twice (she gave birth to two daughters at ages 14 and 17). Renamed "Alyssa," Jaycee spent 18 years in captivity, living in a backyard shack at the home of Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido. Jaycee escaped captivity in August 2009, when security officers from UC Berkeley conducted a backround check on Phillip Garrido and discovered that he had no records of children. Phillip and Nancy Garrido were arrested on August 26, 2009, and Jaycee was reunited with her mother, Terry Probyn.

 

Kidnapping

Born on May 3, 1980, Jaycee Lee Dugard grew up in the community of South Lake Tahoe, California. On June 10, 1991, when Jaycee Dugard was 11 years old, she was kidnapped outside of her home. Jaycee's stepfather, Carl Probyn, saw the abduction through his home's garage window—he was the only witness of the crime. Probyn immediately called local authorities, who were aided by the FBI in their search for Jaycee. The search included dogs, aircraft and hundreds of law enforcement personnel, but to no avail; Jaycee wasn't found. No one could imagine the horror that was unfolding for Jaycee 170 miles away, in Antioch, California.

Life with Captors

Jaycee was locked in a makeshift recording studio by her captors, convicted rapist Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido, in the backyard of their home. Renamed "Alyssa," Jaycee soon realized the major motive for her abduction: She was raped repeatedly by Phillip Garrido, which resulted in two pregnancies. At age 14, Jaycee gave birth to her first child, a daughter; three years later, at age 17, she gave birth to a second daughter.

Jaycee spent more than 18 years in captivity with the Garridos, who fed her countless lies and largely prohibited her contact with the outside world. During that time, she wrote in a journal frequently, documenting deep depression, fear, loneliness and feelings of being "unloved." She constantly wondered about her family members and whether they were searching for her, but over time—and cut off from any relationships outside of the Garrido home—the severely depressed victim grew to cherish any human interaction, even that from her kidnappers. Jaycee didn't know how to leave, and after years of lies from her captors about her family's lack of love for her, she wasn't even sure whether she had anyone to flee to.

 

Arrest of Phillip and Nancy Garrido

In August 2009, Phillip Garrido began passing out fliers about his new church, God's Desire, on the campus of the University of California, Berkeley. He was with Jaycee, and their two daughters, at the time. During his solicitation, campus security officers approached him and asked him to register his organization with campus offices. When he did, they discovered Garrido's criminal past and decided to do a quick background check by calling his parole agent. The call proved to be monumental: Garrido's agent was shocked when security officers mentioned his children, as his records showed that he had no children. Authorities were quickly called and soon after, on August 26, 2009, Phillip and Nancy Garrido were arrested. Two days later, the Garridos were charged with 29 felony counts, including rape and false imprisonment.

 

Return Home

More than 18 years after she was abducted, on August 26, 2009—a beautiful, sunny day in South Lake Tahoe, California—Jaycee Dugard was reunited with her mother, Terry Probyn.
Soon after, the Dugard family learned from California Deputy Inspector General Dave Biggs that due to Garrido's failed parole supervision, they would be awarded $20 million by the State of California. Additionally, Phillip Garrido was named a strong suspect in several other California kidnapping cases.
In July 2011, Jaycee Dugard published a harrowing memoir, A Stolen Life, about her years spent with the Garridos. In March 2012, in an interview with Diane Sawyer, she spoke about her recent activity, discussing her happiness to be back with her family and her struggle with "learning" how to be free. During the interview, she recalled being overly joyed after ordering pizza during a recent trip to New York City: "Just walking down the street. With everybody. It was my favorite moment," she said.