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Kidnapper's Brother: 'He's a Fruitcake'

Abduction a shock, but Philip Garrido's problems go way back

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 28, 2009 8:23 AM CDT

(Newser) – Ron Garrido was shocked when he discovered his little brother had kidnapped an 11-year-old girl, held her captive in his backyard, and fathered two children by her, but believed it immediately. “I know my brother,” the 65-year-old tells the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a fruitcake.” Phillip Garrido had always been troubled, he said, citing incidents from teenage LSD abuse to a federal conviction for rape and kidnapping.

Phillip met his wife, Nancy, in prison, and Ron describes her as “a robot” willing to do whatever his brother told her. “I told my wife, ‘It’s no different from Manson and those girls.’ She was under his control.” Phillip and Nancy then moved in with his mother. “My brother could do no wrong in my mother’s eyes,” says Ron. “I’m sure he told her some story and she bought the whole thing.” The mother, who suffers from dementia, was still living in the house when Jaycee Lee Dugard was discovered Wednesday.

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The El Dorado County Jail, where Phillip and Nancy Garrido are being held, is seen on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, in Placerville, Calif. (AP Photo/Brad Horn)

This family photo released by Carl Probyn on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009, shows his stepdaughter, Jaycee Lee Dugard who went missing in 1991. (AP Photo)

This image provided by the El Dorado County, Calif. Sheriff's office, and taken Thursday, Aug. 27, 2009 shows Phillip Garrido. (AP Photo/El Dorado County Sheriffs)

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Crazy, crazy, crazy. There's
no word to describe this.
It's just out there. - Ron Garrido

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Kidnapper's Brother: 'He's a Fruitcake'