She's 29 now, and I can't wait to see if she looks anything like this reconstruction the National Center for Mission & Exploited Children did on her.
Now we're hearing about two suspects .. including a registered sex offender, 58-year old Philip Garrido. Click on the picture to the right to get details about the the case as it's unfolding ... and click HERE for a link to the suspect's blog that has to do with mind control and a lot of far-out religious stuff. A few people have posted comments since this news broke and it does not look like he's going to be a popular guy in jail. Here's a taste:
When the voices tell you to kidnap and rape children, it's not God. It's your own crminal self, Mr. Garrido! I hope you rot in jail and burn in Hell.
Guess what? Now you get to see what it feels like to be powerless and raped. Have a nice time in jail, s***head! Hey, how much do you want to bet this piece of garbage tried to claim diminished capacity, huh? And tries to use this blog as evidence of same? Why on earth isn't child abduction and rape a capitol offense?
Anyway, back to Jaycee's story. A woman who says she is Jaycee Lee Dugard -- a girl who was abducted at a school bus stop 18 years ago in South Lake Tahoe -- walked into a Bay Area police station yesterday. And the missing girl's mother is convinced it's her.
I went to the Sacramento Bee story that was just posted a few minutes ago for the latest information and it sounds like the girl's mother and stepfather are about to have a reunion with her this morning:
"Carl Probyn, Jaycee's stepfather, said his wife and daughter were flying to Northern California to meet Dugard, now 29, who disappeared on June 10, 1991.
Probyn told The Bee this morning that his wife, Terry, spoke with the young woman by phone Wednesday night.
The Probyns, who are separated, live in Southern California, Carl in Orange County and Terry in Riverside. Terry Probyn and their daughter, Shayna, 19, boarded a 6 a.m. flight to the Bay Area to meet with Dugard, Carl Probyn said."
The girl's mother, Terry, spoke to the woman claiming to be Jaycee on the phone last night and believes it's really her -- she remembers her childhood. Jaycee's stepfather, Carl, told reporters he wants to give her mother and their daughter Shayna some time alone together to get re-acquainted (and acquainted, in the latter case) before he throws himself into the mix.
I feel bad for Carl Probyn; he was put through the ringer as a suspect because he's the last person who saw her. The USA Today story says "her stepfather was watching helplessly from the family's driveway on a hill about two blocks away when a two-tone gray sedan pulled up and someone yanked the girl into the car and sped off. Even though officers responded within minutes, no trace of the car or girl was ever found."
But there were suspects, over the years. He was able to give police a description of a car, and a woman inside.
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Click on the picture to the right for a full rundown from The Charley Project.
The first two suspects you see, Daveggio and Michaud, were charged in another abduction, rape and murder of a girl a few years later and just about five miles away.
They're on death row -- but they say they didn't have anything to do with Dugard's abduction and FBI timelines support that.
The two on the bottom are the ones who abducted Elizabeth Smart from Salt Lake City. She was held captive for 9 months before she was rescued.
Police were still looking at similarities between those two cases when Jaycee (we're assuming it's her) just popped up.
There were wild theories too. One on a message board I found from someone quite certain that "she was sold by mother and stepfather into prostitution for their drug debts."
Or that the mother wasn't involved, but somehow the stepfather was.
Now, we're hearing that Carl Probyn (KTVU.com has a telephone interview with him posted here) is saying the FBI has said they have the "people responsible" for the abduction.
What do you you want to say to her when you see her, a reporter asked?
"How sorry I am that this happened ... these last few years haven't been too hurtful for her... we'll find out today, I don't know if some couple took her that didn't have a kid, or you know I just don't know the circumstances right now. I'm glad we got her back and it seems like she's okay."
We will find out later today, for sure. One thing is sure: if it is her, the family is not only vindicated, but gets their child back: the best possible outcome right now. There's no word on whether we'll get to hear from Jaycee herself, but investigators are holding a press conference at 3:00pm. Hopefully, by then, the family will already have all the answers they need.
