It’s a pain too intense too imagine. Your child is stolen from you. You spend years following every lead, asking for help from anyone who will listen and doing everything possible to bring your baby home.
Years pass without a sign of hope. Everything seems to indicate that the worst has happened. As a parent, how would you cope?
Jaycee Dugard’s family went through all those emotions and more for 20 years. But today, they may finally have some closure.
In 1991 a vivacious 11-year-old named Jaycee Dugard was kidnapped outside her Lake Tahoe home. Her family did all they could to find her. Nothing seemed to help. As the years passed, hope of finding Jaycee slowly diminished.
Then, in 2009, everything changed. A Berkeley police officer met a man named Phillip Garrido on the UC campus. She was immediately suspicious of his unusual behavior, and concerned about the young woman and 2 girls who accompanied him. Officer Lisa Campbell asked Garrido to come back the next day. That night, she ran a background check.
What she discovered led to the rescue of Jaycee Dugard.
A New Chapter In Jaycee Dugard’s Life
Jaycee Dugard was reunited with the family that feared they’d never see their little girl again. But the nightmare was far from over. During her years of captivity, Jaycee Dugard lived in inhumane conditions, endured ongoing sexual abuse and was forced to bear 2 children with Phillip Garrido. The scars ran deep.
With help from her family, Jaycee began the slow process of rebuilding her life. One year after her rescue, Jaycee agreed to an interview with People magazine. She hoped to show the world that she was happy, healthy and moving forward. Jaycee Dugard was going to be okay.
In June 2011, nearly 2 years after Jaycee Dugard was found, Phillip and Nancy Garrido received their sentencing. Nancy was sentenced to 36 years to life in prison. Phillip was given 431 years to life.
Jaycee Dugard did not attend the trial. Instead, she issued a statement calling the Garridos evil people and saying she refused to waste another moment of her life in their presence.
The sentencing is done. Phillip and Nancy Garrido will likely spend the rest of their lives in prison. We hope this brings closure to Jaycee and her family, and helps speed up their healing process.
It’s impossible to know how people who would react to any of this. The loss of a child, the feelings of hope slowly fading away and finally the unexpected return nearly 2 decades later. May it be a nightmare no one must ever endure again.
We are grateful that Jaycee Dugard and her family now have some closure. Here’s to a bright future for them all. Cherish your loved ones and hold them close, and thank you for reading the PeopleFinders people search blog.