Jaycee's Mom 'Enjoying Every Minute' of Reunion

Kidnap victim deals frankly with ordeal in new memoir

(NEWSER) - After 18 years in Phillip Garrido's backyard hell, one might expect Jaycee Dugard to be joyless and withdrawn. But Diane Sawyer instead encounters a fiercely devoted 31-year-old mother, a rape survivor who confronts her ordeal unflinchingly, and a vibrant woman savoring each tiny freedom in her new life—like being to say her own name aloud, something Garrido had prohibited her from doing. Dugard gives her first television interview, airing this Sunday on ABC, ahead of the release of her candid memoir, A Stolen Life. More»

Kidnap victim, her mother seek damages for parole lapses

(NEWSER) - Jaycee Dugard and her mother have filed claims against California’s Department of Corrections, seeking unspecified (but exceeding $25,000) financial damages for suffering they endured due to lapses by parole and other officials overseeing Philip Garrido, the man charged with abducting then-11-year-old Dugard and holding her captive for 18 years. Legal observers tell KCBS-AM that the move is a likely precursor to lawsuits. More»

Friends say Dugard adjusting well to new life with mom, daughters

(NEWSER) - Hello! magazine offers another glimpse at kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard as an adult, riding horseback and posing with mother Terry Probyn. Sources close to the family say Dugard is bonding with her mother and 19-year-old half-sister, and that Dugard’s two “smart, playful” daughters—who were always told she was their sister—now know she is their mother, the Telegraph reports. More»

Alleged kidnapper in isolation for own safety

(NEWSER) - Nancy Garrido has been placed in isolation after other inmates threatened to rape and kill her, sources tell CBS News. Like her husband, Phillip, Garrido is charged with 29 felonies stemming from the kidnapping and imprisonment of Jaycee Dugard. Though she’s expected to seek bail, it’s unlikely to be granted, analysts say. Sources say Garrido is “very lonely” in jail, and spends her time reading the bible. More»

(NEWSER) - Phillip Garrido picked out Jaycee Dugan as his next kidnap victim on a "child shopping" trip when he spotted the "cute" 11-year-old in a store with friends, his wife has told investigators. "That's the one I want," he told his wife, Nancy, but he decided to wait to snatch Jaycee when she was alone, reports the Telegraph, citing law enforcement sources. "Let's come back later and get her," said Garrido. The couple apparently tailed Jaycee to her home and grabbed her at a school bus stop the following day. More»