In her new book, Freedom: My Book of Firsts, Jaycee Lee Dugard discusses what it was like transitioning back into the world after being held captive for 18 years. Dugard, who lived in her kidnappers’ backyard less than 200 miles from her childhood home, bore two children by her captor, Phillip Garrido, during this time.
Read on to find out what we know about Angel and Starlit.
1. They Did Not Know Jaycee Was Kidnapped
According to The Telegraph, Angel and Starlit had no idea that their mother had been kidnapped and held as prisoner by the man who was their biological father.
When discussing the girls’ situation in August 2009, Jaycee’s stepfather, Carl Probyn, told ABC News, “They have been so sheltered around him, they were clinging to him. Basically they are upset about this because that’s their father and he’s in jail.” Probyn added on, “[Jaycee] had to explain just two days ago she had been kidnapped. [Her daughters] didn’t know that.”
2. They Grew up Thinking Jaycee Was Their Sister
Dugard, who had two daughters by her captor while imprisoned in his backyard for 18 years, says her girls are an inspiration to her. “I see my daughters have relationships and I feel like one day when the time is right I will meet the right person for me.” (Twitter/JayceeDugard)
Hollywood Life writes, “Explaining to the girls that Jaycee was actually their mom and not their sister — as the Garrido’s had raised them to believe — was one of the more difficult aspects of their adjustment process.” The girls had been conditioned to think that Nancy, Phillip’s wife and co-captor, was their mother.
In an interview with People in which he discussed Starlit and Angel’s mental state, Carl Probyn, said, “People have to realize this will take years of therapy.”
3. They Attended a Sweet 16 While In Confinement
Tonight, on a special edition of ABC News’ 20/20, Diane Sawyer will interview Jaycee Dugard just five years after their first sit down, to discuss her abduction. According to ABC News, “Dugard will discuss adjusting to a new life and reintegrating into society, which she reveals in her new memoir ‘Freedom: My Book of Firsts.'” (Twitter/JayceeDugard)
Cheyvonne Molino, one of Garrido’s printing clients, described the girls as being “polite”. Sometimes, Phillip would bring them to Molino’s husband’s car wrecking business, and they would play with Cheyvonne’s daughter. Molino added on, “The girls were polite, they played with my daughter in my office, sometimes on the internet… They may have been living in substandard conditions, but they did a very good job of hiding it.”
The Sweet 16 was a dance party for about 125 guests, and Cheyvonne said that Starlit and Angel were welcome to attend. Phillip brought the girls to the party 2 hours early to help decorate the dance floor.
At 9:30pm, just a half an hour after the party’s official start, Garrido took the girls home, saying that they weren’t used to loud rap music. Cheyvonne walked them to the car and when she asked if they had fun, they excitedly said they did.
4. Garrido’s Clients Met The Girls Multiple Times
Four years after being taken hostage, Garrido allowed Jaycee into the house. Eventually, he trained her to work as a secretary for his printing business, and Jaycee was even seen wandering the town with him and his wife. The Telegraph writes of Angel and Starlet, “…he had taken one or both of them with him when he toured clients of his printing business, either to discuss work or more often to hand out religious fliers, bottles of water and find someone to preach at.”
In the aftermath of Jaycee’s rescue, officials voiced their anger with the fact that there were many missed instances to save Jaycee and their daughters from their captor.
5. They Worshipped Phillip Garrido
Though Phillip and Nancy’s behavior was clearly criminal, many have asked why Jaycee didn’t try and escape during her 18 years in the Garrido’s backyard. Experts say it’s because she developed a bond with Phillip– in multiple cases, hostage victims are known for sympathizing with their abductors. The phenomenon is called Stockholm Syndrome. (Getty)
At the Sweet 16, one of Cheyvonne’s friends pointed out how the oldest daughter was clinging to Phillip. “It was almost like she was sending out a message, ‘That’s my man'”. At least that’s how it looked to us,” writes Glatt, the author of “Lost and Found: The True Story of Jaycee Lee Dugard and the Abduction that Shocked the World”.
On August 29, 2009, Garrido visited the University of California with Jaycee, Starlit, and Angel. He was visiting the campus police to get approval to hold a special event at the university, as part of the God’s Desire program. Lisa Campbell, the UC Berkeley special events manager, noted Garrido’s odd behavior and the girls’ pallor. She told them to return the next day, and asked Officer Ally Jacobs to sit on the meeting. Officer Jacobs discovered through a background check that Garrido was a registered sex offender. The event sparked further investigations which ultimately led to the arrests of Philip and Nancy Garrido.
When discussing the eldest daughter’s relationship with Garrido, Officer Ally Jacobs said, “He was the Lord in her eyes it seemed; she was just looking at him like he was a superstar.”
Sine their rescue, Jaycee and her daughters have lived a secluded life in Southern California with Jaycee’s mother and stepsister.