True Crime Collection

Jaycee Dugard

Jaycee Lee Dugard was born 3rd May 1980 in Arcadia, California. Jaycee's biological father, Ken Slayton, was not involved in her life, nor in the investigation that followed her kidnapping. When Jaycee was 7 years old, her mother Terry married a carpet contractor named Carl Robyn, and gave birth to Jaycee's half-sister, Shayna, in 1989. Although Jaycee was close to her mother and sister, she was never close to Carl. In September 1990, Jaycee's family moved from Arcadia, California, in Los Angeles County, to Meyers, a rural town south of South Lake Tahoe, because they thought it was a safer community. At the time of the abduction, Jaycee was in the 5th grade, and anticipated an upcoming field trip.

On 10th June, 1991, Jaycee's mother, who worked as a typesetter at a print house, left for work early in the day. 11 year old Jaycee, wearing her favourite all pink outfit, walked up the hill from her house, against traffic, to catch the school bus. When she was halfway up the hill, a gray car approached her. She thought that the man driving the car was stopping to ask for directions. 

The driver, Phillip Garrido, rolled down the window and tased Jaycee unconscious with a stun gun before abducting her. His wife, Nancy, dragged Jaycee into the car, where they removed her clothing, leaving only a butterfly shaped ring that Jaycee would hide from them for the next 18 years. Nancy covered Jaycee with a blanket and held her down as the girl drifted in and out of consciousness during the 3 hour drive to the Garridos' property 120 miles away in Antioch. The only time Jaycee spoke was when she pleaded that her parents could not afford a ransom. The district attorney in the case believed that Nancy had scouted Jaycee as a prize for Phillip.

Carl witnessed the abduction of his stepdaughter from within sight of their home. He was 2 people in a mid-sized grey car - possibly a Mercury Monarch - make a u-turn at the school bus stop where Jaycee was waiting, and a woman forcing Jaycee into the car. He chased after them on a bicycle but was unable to overtake the vehicle. Some of Jaycee's classmates were also witnesses to the abduction. Initial suspects included Carl and Ken Slayton, Jaycee's biological father, though they did not know each other and Ken had only had a brief relationship with Jaycee's mother in 1979, not knowing he had a child. Carl took and passed several polygraph tests, and Ken was also quickly cleared of suspicion. Nonetheless, the kidnapping led to the breakup of Terry and Carl's marriage. 

Within hours of Jaycee's disappearance, local and national media converged on South Lake Tahoe to cover the story. Within days, dozens of local volunteers assisted in the search effort, which involved nearly every resource within the community. Within weeks, tens of thousands of flyers and posters were mailed to businesses throughout the United States. Since Jaycee's favourite colour was pink, the town was blanketed in pink ribbons as a constant reminder of her disappearance, and as a demonstration to support for her family by the community. 

Terry Robyn founded a group called Jaycee's Hope, which directed the volunteer and fund-raising efforts. Cassette tapes of the song "Jaycee Lee", along with t-shirts, sweatshirts and buttons, were sold to raise money for poster materials, postage, printing and related expenses. Child Quest International and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children were involved in the effort. A reward was offered, which was noted on the posters and flyers. The kidnapping case attracted nationwide attention and was featured on the 14th June, 1991, episode of the Fox television show America's Most Wanted. The ensuing months and years were a continuous effort of child safety awareness, fundraising events, and candlelight vigils marking Jaycee's disappearance, keeping her story in the public awareness. 

The primary offender in the case, Phillip Greg Garrido, was born in Pittsburg, California, on 5th April, 1951. He grew up in Brentwood, where he graduated from Liberty High School in 1969. Phillip's father Manuel later stated that his son had been a "good boy" as a child, but changed radically after a serious motorcycle accident as a teenager. He turned to drug use - primary methamphetamine and LSD.