18 years of captivity still haunts US woman
August 26th, 2010 - 1:15 pm ICT by IANSLondon, Aug 26 (IANS) A young woman in the US, held captive for 18 years by a paedophile who fathered her two daughters, is still trying hard to recoup from the ordeal as she appreciates “the fresh air and open spaces”.
A year after she was rescued in August 2009, kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard and her two daughters went on a holiday in northern California, The Sun reported Thursday.
Jaycee, 30, who was a prisoner in a makeshift compound of shabby tents in the backyard of the sex beast, was spotted in Antioch town.
This time, staying in a tent represented not misery and confinement for her, but an opportunity to breathe fresh air, to enjoy life — and to relish freedom. Jaycee and daughters Starlet, 16, and Angel, 11, were joined by a female friend.
The spot was only 96 km from the house in Antioch where she was kept by paedophile Phillip Garrido, 59, after he snatched her when she was just 11.
Though Jaycee and the girls are still having intensive psychological treatment to help them recover from their ordeal, her smiles were a heart-warming testament to the progress she is making.
“It’s incredible — she is such a happy young woman. She really appreciates the fresh air and open spaces as you would expect from someone who was held captive for so long,” a source told The Sun.
“And Jaycee and her kids have an incredible bond. She is a wonderful mother.”
“The last 12 months have been a long road and clearly there’s still a long way to go,” the source said.
Jaycee and her daughters lead a humble life despite being awarded 13 million pounds from the state of California to head off a lawsuit over the bungled monitoring of known rapist Garrido.
They live with Jaycee’s mother Terry, 51, in a quiet rural corner of California not far from the scene of the holiday.
The source said: “Jaycee has been depending on her mum for a lot of support. The fact that she was able to go away without her is a clear sign she is making good progress.”
Garrido and his wife Nancy, 55, are awaiting trial on kidnap and rape charges.
The Northern California couple has been jailed since Jaycee and the two daughters she bore Garrido resurfaced a year ago.
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- California Assembly Passes $20 Million Settlement Bill For Jaycee Dugard - Jul 02, 2010
- Jaycee Dugard To Pen Memoir About Abduction Ordeal - Sep 28, 2010
- US sex slave awarded $20m settlement for 18 yrs in captivity - Jul 02, 2010
- After 18 years as hostage, woman releases first video - Mar 06, 2010
- Jaycee Lee Dugard's Journal Highlights Contradictory Emotions About Abductors - Feb 15, 2010
- Jaycee Dugard Family Video To Be Aired On ABC - Mar 05, 2010
- Jaycee Dugard's kidnappers 'confess to 18 years of sex abuse' - Mar 02, 2011
- Jaycee Dugard graces People magazine's cover - Oct 14, 2009
- The Californian State To Deliver An Imbursement Of $20 Million To The Kidnapped Victim, Jaycee Dugard - Jul 02, 2010
- Jaycee Lee Dugard 'saved her life by becoming second wife to US Fritzl' - Aug 31, 2009
- US Fritzl being probed for murder of 10 prostitutes - Aug 29, 2009
- US Fritzl's secret garden of evil where he kept kidnapped girl as sex slave - Aug 30, 2009
- First Videos of Jaycee Dugard Released: "I'm Doing Well" - Mar 05, 2010
Tags: captivity, confinement, female friend, fresh air, garrido, humble life, jaycee dugard, misery, northern california, open spaces, ordeal, paedophile, progre, psychological treatment, rapist, sex beast, starlet, state of california, two daughters, wonderful mother