Genie Wiley: the feral child

Summary

The tragic story of 'Genie,' a girl locked away from society by her father for 13 years, reveals the devastating impact of isolation on child development. Born in 1957, Genie was subjected to abuse and neglect, leading to severe developmental delays and a lack of language skills. After her rescue, she showed remarkable progress in therapy but faced challenges due to her unstable foster care situation. Her case highlights the importance of early intervention and the lifelong effects of abuse and isolation.

Takeaways

• 😷 Genie Wiley, also known as 'feral child', was isolated from human contact and society for 13 years by her father, Clark Wiley.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Clark Wiley had a troubled past, including being raised in foster homes and having a strained relationship with his mother.
• 👶 Genie was kept in a locked room, subjected to physical abuse, and was never taught to speak or interact socially.
• 🏠 The family lived in isolation, with Clark controlling every aspect of their lives and preventing them from leaving the house.
• 🤕 Genie's physical and mental development was severely delayed due to the abuse and lack of stimulation.
• 🚨 The case was discovered when Genie's mother, Irene, escaped the abusive situation and sought help for her disability benefits.
• 👩‍⚕️ After her rescue, Genie showed remarkable progress in therapy, learning to communicate and interact with others.
• 📚 The case of Genie Wiley contributed significantly to the fields of psychology and linguistics, demonstrating the critical period for language acquisition.
• 💔 Despite initial progress, Genie's life after her rescue was unstable, moving between foster homes and lacking consistent care.
• 📉 The lack of a stable environment and ongoing support hindered Genie's ability to reach her full potential after her rescue.
• 🏡 Genie now lives a private life in a facility, her story serving as a cautionary tale about the long-term effects of child abuse and neglect.

Q & A

What is the term used to describe children who have been raised away from society and human contact?

Such children are referred to as 'feral children'.

What was the fake name given to the girl who spent 13 years locked in a room?

The fake name given to the girl was 'Genie'.

What was the reason behind Clark Wiley's decision to isolate his daughter Genie?

Clark Wiley decided to isolate his daughter Genie due to his belief that she was mentally disabled and his resentment towards children, which led him to avoid any contact with her.

How did Genie's father, Clark Wiley, treat her during her confinement?

Clark Wiley treated Genie with extreme neglect and abuse, including tying her to a child's toilet during the day and a sleeping bag at night, and beating her with a plank if she made any noise.

What was the impact of Genie's isolation on her physical and mental development?

Genie's isolation led to severe delays in her physical and mental development, resulting in her being unable to walk properly, speak, or interact socially, and having the cognitive abilities of a 13-month-old when she was discovered at 13 years old.

What was the role of Genie's mother, Irene Wiley, in her confinement?

Irene Wiley was also a victim of Clark's abuse and control, and was partially blind, which limited her ability to care for Genie. She was not allowed to speak to or interact with Genie under Clark's strict rules.

How did Genie's situation come to the attention of authorities?

Genie's situation was discovered when Irene, with the help of her son who had run away from home, finally confronted her husband and took Genie to her parents' house to apply for disability benefits, where a social worker noticed her.

What were the initial observations made by the medical professionals when Genie was first examined?

Medical professionals observed that Genie was extremely small for her age, had very pale skin, lacked muscle development, had never learned to chew, and showed signs of severe developmental delays.

What progress did Genie make during her time in the hospital and foster care?

Genie made significant progress in the hospital, learning to understand speech, express emotions, and gain control of her bladder. In foster care, she continued to develop her verbal communication and showed signs of recalling her childhood.

What were the challenges Genie faced after leaving the hospital?

Genie faced challenges including being moved between multiple foster homes, experiencing further abuse, and lacking stability, which hindered her from reaching her full potential and living a normal life.

What was the ultimate outcome for Genie after her story was made public?

Genie was eventually placed in a private facility in Los Angeles where she was better cared for, and her privacy was respected. She lived a simple life, and her mother and the Wriggler family stayed in contact with her.

Outlines

00:00

🔒 The Isolation of Genie Wiley

Genie Wiley's tragic story begins with her father, Clark Wiley, isolating her in a room, cutting off all human contact. This extreme isolation led to her being raised as a feral child, lacking social skills and with abnormal behavior. Genie's father, Clark, had a troubled past, including being neglected and bullied, which contributed to his resentment towards his mother and his eventual violent behavior towards his wife, Irene. Despite Irene's early head injury and subsequent vision problems, the couple appeared happy, but Clark's violent nature and control over the family escalated. Genie's early life was marked by health issues and developmental delays, which Clark attributed to a mental disability, further isolating her from her family and society.

05:01

🌑 The Dark Reality of Genie's Confinement

Genie's confinement worsened after her grandmother's death in a car accident, which led Clark to become even more paranoid and reclusive. He locked Genie in a room, restricting her movement and punishing her for making any noise. The family's living conditions deteriorated, with Clark enforcing silence and control over every aspect of their lives. Genie was fed baby food and liquids, was never toilet trained, and was subjected to physical abuse if she made any sound. The severity of her isolation meant that she had no opportunity to learn language or social skills, and her physical development was severely stunted.

10:03

👥 The Discovery and Initial Assessment

Genie's horrifying situation was uncovered when her mother, Irene, finally sought help from social services. Genie was found to be severely malnourished, physically stunted, and mentally delayed due to her isolation. She was unable to speak or interact with others and was initially thought to be autistic. However, it became clear that her condition was a result of the extreme abuse and neglect she suffered. Therapists and psychiatrists began working with Genie to understand the extent of her condition and to help her recover. They found that she had never been exposed to language, had no non-verbal communication skills, and was deeply affected by her father's violent threats.

15:05

📈 Genie's Progress and Challenges in Recovery

Despite her traumatic past, Genie began to show signs of progress in the hospital. She started to understand speech, showed emotions, and began to gain control over her bodily functions. Her language skills improved, and she became more social and affectionate. However, her recovery was complicated by being moved to different foster homes, which disrupted her therapy and stability. Genie's case raised questions about the long-term effects of isolation on child development and the importance of consistent care and support for recovery.

20:06

🏠 Genie's Life After Recovery

Genie's life after her recovery was marked by a series of challenges. Her mother struggled to cope with her needs and placed her in multiple foster homes, where she faced further abuse. Eventually, she was moved to a facility in Los Angeles where she received better care. Genie's story is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit but also a stark reminder of the devastating impact of child abuse and neglect. Her father, Clark Wiley, took his own life before facing justice, and Genie's mother passed away in 2003. Genie's brother lived separately from her, and she remains in a private facility, her privacy respected.

Keywords

💡Isolation

Isolation refers to the state of being separated from others, often leading to a lack of social interaction. In the context of the video, isolation is a central theme as it describes the condition under which Jeannie Wiley was raised, being kept in a room with no human contact, which is a form of abuse and neglect. The script mentions that 'isolation is much more than being alone, it means cutting out all human contact,' illustrating the severe nature of Jeannie's situation.

💡Feral Children

Feral children are individuals who have grown up without human contact, often living in isolation from society. The term is used in the video to describe children like Jeannie Wiley, who due to their upbringing, lack social skills and have abnormal behaviors. The script explains that feral children 'have been raised away from society in human contact since a very young age, therefore they lack any social skills, and their behavior is considered abnormal.'

💡Abuse

Abuse is the misuse or cruel treatment of someone, which in the video, is exemplified by the actions of Jeannie's father, Clark Wiley. The script details various forms of abuse, including physical, emotional, and neglect, stating that 'Clark was controlling and rigid and it was only becoming worse over the years, he didn't like children claiming they were noisy but after five years of marriage Irene became pregnant.'

💡Neglect

Neglect is the failure to care for someone or provide what they need, which is a significant aspect of the abuse Jeannie suffered. The script describes how Jeannie's father 'began treating his daughter as if her condition were much more severe' and as a result, 'the neglect caused her to continue dropping weight and delayed her development severely.'

💡Developmental Delays

Developmental delays refer to a slower rate of development in children in areas such as physical, learning, language, or social skills. The video discusses how Jeannie suffered from such delays due to her isolation and neglect, with the script stating that 'by the time he was four years old he had quite obvious linguistic development delays.'

💡RH Incompatibility

RH incompatibility is a medical condition where a mother's antibodies attack the fetus's red blood cells. In the script, it is mentioned that Jeannie's mother had a child with RH incompatibility, which resulted in the child's death shortly after birth, illustrating the tragic circumstances that preceded Jeannie's own suffering.

💡Therapy

Therapy in the video refers to the treatment and care Jeannie received after being rescued, aimed at helping her recover from the abuse and isolation. The script mentions that 'after weeks of therapy observation and several tests doctors concluded Jeannie had not been born in any way mentally disabled,' showing the importance of therapy in understanding and treating her condition.

💡Cognitive Abilities

Cognitive abilities are the mental capacities or processes such as perception, thinking, memory, and judgment. The video discusses how Jeannie's cognitive abilities were severely impacted by her upbringing, with the script stating that 'doctors determined Jeannie's cognitive abilities were equal to a 13-month-old,' highlighting the profound effects of her isolation.

💡Foster Homes

Foster homes are temporary family environments for children who cannot live with their birth families. In the video, Jeannie's life after rescue involved moving through various foster homes, as mentioned in the script: 'from 1977 to the early 90s Jeannie was placed in many foster homes where she was abused,' indicating the ongoing challenges she faced.

💡Psychological Trauma

Psychological trauma results from extraordinarily stressful events and can lead to lasting emotional and mental health problems. The video implies that Jeannie suffered from such trauma due to her experiences, as indicated by the script's description of her 'inappropriate sexual behavior in public during her therapy,' which led doctors to believe there had been sexual abuse.

Highlights

Isolation can lead to severe problems adapting in society, known as feral children.

Feral children are raised away from society and human contact, lacking social skills and often unable to speak.

Genie, a pseudonym, was kept in isolation for 13 years by her father.

Clark Wiley's abusive behavior and isolation of his family led to Genie's condition.

Genie's mother, Irene, was also a victim of Clark's abuse and had limited vision.

Genie's father prevented her from developing basic human skills like walking and talking.

Genie was discovered at 13 years old, showing signs of severe developmental delays.

Therapists and psychiatrists found Genie's condition was due to abuse and isolation, not innate disability.

Genie made significant progress in therapy, learning to communicate and interact.

Genie's case was groundbreaking for child development and language acquisition studies.

Genie's father, Clark, committed suicide after being charged with child abuse.

Genie's mother sued the hospital and therapists involved in Genie's case.

Genie's life after her rescue was unstable, moving between foster homes and facilities.

Genie's story highlights the importance of stable care and support for victims of abuse.

Genie's progress was hindered by the lack of a consistent care environment.

Genie's case is considered a failure due to the long-term consequences of her abuse.

Genie's story serves as a cautionary tale about the impact of abuse and the need for proper care.

Transcripts

mr wiley yes why did you keep your

daughter

in a room mr wiley has no comment we

haven't had time to discuss the charge

we haven't even seen

isolation is much more than being alone

it means cutting out all human contact

but what happens when that's all you

know

this is how some children are raised

away from society estranged from social

skills and with little to no knowledge

about interaction

when inserted into society these

children have severe problems adapting

therefore being known as feral children

to understand the story better we first

need to talk about feral children

feral or wild children have been raised

away from society in human contact since

a very young age

therefore they lack any social skills

and their behavior is considered

abnormal

as a consequence of being isolated

during the most crucial years of

language development many don't know how

to speak and communicate only using

sounds

there are many stories and myths about

children being raised by animals

children who hunt or even run on all

fours

however in the 20th century

psychologists began digging deeper into

the cases of children who'd been

isolated as a way of abuse by adults

this is a story we're focusing on today

genie is a fake name

she was giving this alias when her case

went public

psychiatrists who treated her decided

this was the best way to protect her

from the curious media who wanted to

meet the girl who spent 13 years locked

in a room

but how did genie end up this way

how did a baby end up being raised alone

in a room just a few feet away from her

family but not being able to communicate

with them

for that we need to dive deeper into her

family history

[Music]

clark wiley genie's father was raised in

foster homes in the pacific northwest

after the death of his father and with

his mother running a brothel he was

neglected and ended up being passed on

from foster home to foster home

apparently he was given a feminine name

as a child

which he hated and changed as soon as he

was old enough

it's thought that the neglect from his

mother and how he was bullied for his

name made him resent her

however during his early adulthood

mother and son became close

she was trying to make up for past

mistakes and tried spending as much time

as she could with him

seeing as his mother was finally taking

notice of him clark became extremely

attached to her putting her above

everyone else

jeannie's mother irene was 20 years

younger than clark

as a child she sustained a head injury

which resulted in neurological damage

her eyesight was affected especially one

of her eyes and her condition would only

get worse with time

when the couple got married neighbors

and friends remember them being close

and seemingly happy

however behind closed doors clark soon

became violent towards irene

his severe beatings affected irene's

vision even more until she was partially

blind from one eye and heavily depended

on clarke

clark was controlling and rigid and it

was only becoming worse over the years

he didn't like children claiming they

were noisy but after five years of

marriage irene became pregnant

however the beating didn't stop

he continued to hit irene during her

whole pregnancy

despite this she gave birth to a healthy

baby girl

clark found his daughter to be very loud

and couldn't handle her crying so he

began placing her in the garage

as a consequence at only 10 weeks old

the couple's first born child contracted

pneumonia and died

a year later irene gave birth to a baby

boy

however the baby was diagnosed with an

r8 incompatibility which is a disease

where some of the mother's antibodies

are passed on into the fetus's

bloodstream attacking its own red blood

cells

the child died only two days after being

born

and so irene and clark got pregnant once

again and this time had a healthy boy

but clark hadn't changed his mind about

children

he hated hearing the baby cry so he'd

forced irene to keep the baby quiet and

encouraged her not to talk to him

by the time he was four years old he had

quite obvious linguistic development

delays and he was sent to live with his

maternal grandmother for a few months

in the short period he spent with her he

made a lot of progress so it was obvious

he was completely capable of learning he

just wasn't being taught enough

clark wiley had begun to isolate himself

more and more and not only that he kept

his family isolated as well preventing

his wife and son from leaving if it

wasn't absolutely necessary

when their son was five years old they

had another baby a girl this time

genie

jeannie wiley was born in 1957

she too showed signs of an rh

incompatibility but after a blood

transfusion she recovered

although seemingly healthy she had a hip

dislocation discovered at a checkup when

she was only three months old so she was

required to wear a splint for most of

her first year of life

this caused her to start walking later

than other children

she also showed some trouble introducing

solid foods into her diet causing her

weight to always be below average

sometimes even showing signs of

malnutrition

these challenges at such an early age

caused clark to think his daughter had a

mental disability although genie had not

shown any medical signs of any delays in

mental development

but clark was determined she was

disabled and actually told his wife and

son they should not speak to her and pay

her little attention

remember clark didn't like any of the

hassle that came with taking care of

children so he thought caring for a

mentally challenged child was not

something he was going to take part in

the neglect caused her to continue

dropping weight and delayed her

development severely

at 14 months old she too contracted

pneumonia

the doctor who saw her mentioned the

possibility that she was indeed disabled

in some way although it was never

officially diagnosed

it didn't even cross his mind that her

condition was inflicted by bad parenting

and neglect

so with this theory from the doctor

jeannie's father just confirmed what

he'd been saying on the lung and began

treating his daughter as if her

condition were much more severe

when genie was about to turn two years

old a drunk driver hit clark's mother

killing her almost instantly

she'd been out walking with genie's

brother at the time who suffered no

injuries

the driver only received a probationary

sentence and with this news clark was

completely destroyed

he considered society had failed him and

he even went as far as to blame the

accident on his seven-year-old son just

because he'd been walking with his

grandmother

he became paranoid and his isolation

spiraled uncontrollably

the family moved into clark's mother's

house and quickly began losing contact

with neighbors and family

clark thought he had to protect his

family from the dangers outside so he

prevented them from leaving most of the

time

this feeling of protection was also

mixed with the disappointment he felt

from having a mentally disabled child

which is what he'd established genie was

so as well as preventing his family from

leaving he began to lock genie away to

keep her hidden

soon enough genie was confined to a

second bedroom in the house while the

rest of the family lived in the living

room

clark had told him his mother's room was

not to be touched and it remained just

as she had left it the day she died

clark slept on a recliner irene slept on

a dining room chair and their son was

left to sleep on the floor

jeannie's room was dark with blacked out

windows and the only objects jeannie

interacted with were her crib a chair

and some curtains

during the day

genie would be strapped to a child's

toilet with a makeshift harness clark

had made himself

at night he'd tie her to a sleeping bag

and put a metal cover over her crib

meaning genie never stood up and can

barely move her arms or her legs

while most children aren't beginning to

run climb fall over and get up again

genie wasn't able to get up on her own

two feet

like we mentioned earlier clark didn't

like children making noise

he kept a plank in the room and if genie

ever made a sound he'd beat her with it

he also began imitating a dog's behavior

growling barking and even scratching

genie if she cried or made any noises

genie was fed mainly baby food and

liquids and was always fed by her father

or her brother under his father's orders

irene's sight was worse than ever so she

wasn't allowed to feed genie

according to researchers jeanne was

probably fed very quickly and if she

choked or complained in any way her

father would take away the food or even

rub it on her face

knowing this her mother would try to

smuggle food in for her in the middle of

the night

but most importantly genie was never

spoken to

the house was mostly silent anyway clark

despised noise and prevented his wife

and son from even talking to each other

speaking to genie was explicitly

prohibited

any conversations we had were always

away from jeannie's room

so for the year she was locked away

genie barely heard any words spoken to

her and definitely never learned how to

speak herself

although genie suffered the strongest

form of abuse the rest of the family was

subjected to clark's ways as well

he frequently beat his wife and son

especially if they made noise or try to

speak to genie

clark kept a diary where he detailed his

abuse and authority over his family

they were forbidden to leave the house

unless it was necessary

genie's brother was only allowed to go

to school and when he came back he had

to confirm his identity before being let

back in due to clark's severe paranoia

to make sure he wouldn't talk about his

family with anyone at school clark would

threaten his son beat him and manipulate

him into being terrified to speak about

any of the abuse going on

as he got older genie's brother also

took part in being violent towards his

sister

under his father's orders he'd also

threatened genie if she made any noise

or would take food away from her

although he wasn't locked up he was also

an abused child and this kind of

parenting was all he knew

the neighbors knew they didn't leave the

house much but they had no idea of the

extent of what was going on behind that

door many didn't know of the existence

of genie

the neighbors believed the couple had

only one child

came home from work and the police was

here and they came to question us that's

when we found found out you know what

happened and you know that they had a

little girl

nobody knew nobody knew before everybody

was shocked and

just unbelievable

when the doors to the house were finally

open nobody could even possibly imagine

the truth of what had been going on

inside

after a lifelong of threats and violence

irene finally confronted her husband

about not being able to even call her

parents

jeannie was 13 years old at the time and

her brother who was already over 18 had

run away from home

genie's mother was finally able to leave

and immediately took jeannie to her

parents house

at this point irene was nearly blind and

decided to apply for disability benefits

she took genie with her while she was

requesting the paperwork jeannie

immediately caught the eye of a social

worker passing by

the social worker initially thought

jeannie was autistic but after speaking

with jeannie and her mother for a few

minutes she was in shock to find that

the girl was actually 13 years old

after evaluating the state she was in

the social worker contacted the

authorities and jeanne's parents were

arrested and she was taken to the los

angeles children's hospital

genie was put under observation by

therapists and psychiatrists specialized

in child abuse

they began trying to find out more about

what led to genie's state but they could

only rely on what their mother told them

since genie wasn't taken 20 doctors

after the age of two

james kent was the psychiatrist assigned

to the case and although he had

frequently worked cases of child abuse

he stated this was nothing like he'd

ever seen before

genie was very small for her age only 4

feet and barely 59 pounds her skin was

extremely pale because of the lack of

sunlight and since she never learned how

to chew because she was never given

solid food her baby teeth hadn't fallen

out she had two full sets of teeth

in fact when given solid food she

couldn't chew it and ended up spitting

it out and trying to break it down with

her hands

jeannie had barely any muscle on her

legs and her bones were very weak since

she had never learned to walk properly

and her limbs were usually restrained

as a consequence she couldn't stand up

straight and always walked with her

hands placed in front of her arms close

to her body similar to how a rabbit

would place its front paws

her rib cage was smaller than average

and her hips were not developed

correctly contributing to her difficulty

in standing or walking

she was also incontinent as she had

never been toilet trained she had either

been tied to a toilet or forced to use

diapers for 13 years

her vision initially seemed fine but she

wasn't able to focus on things more than

a few feet away from her since she had

always been in a small room and never in

open spaces

on a mental level doctors determined

genie's cognitive abilities were equal

to a 13 month old but she quickly began

responding to stimuli and showed

interest in objects she did however show

detachment from other humans she was not

afraid of anyone but she treated them as

objects as well even her mother and

brother who she was more familiar with

didn't seem to trigger any emotional

response genie responded to sounds as

well as she had never been exposed to

anything but the silence of her home

therapists particularly noted that she

was afraid of cat and dog sounds

possibly because of the form of threat

her father used whenever she made any

noise

in terms of communication therapists

determined she was highly antisocial

she avoided physical contact even from

her mother and had no sense of property

as she would reach for anything she

found interesting

her communication consisted in making

noising by pushing objects to attract

attention but no verbal or body language

she only seemed to respond to her name

but barely any other phrases so doctors

couldn't determine how much of it she

knew before or she had learned during

her time in observation

after studying her for weeks linguist

came to the conclusion that she was

physically able to speak but as a

consequence of being extremely isolated

and never exposed to language she simply

hadn't acquired a first language and had

only learned to get attention through

the noises she could make with external

objects

this explains her lack of non-verbal

body language as well

since she barely communicated with

anyone

she never learned how gestures facial

expressions or movement can also be a

form of communication

genie also showed inappropriate sexual

behavior in public during her therapy

which led doctors to believe that there

had also been some form of sexual abuse

during genius time locked away however

this could never be proved as genie's

mother never confirmed it

so after weeks of therapy observation in

several tests doctors concluded genie

had not been born in any way mentally

disabled that she was not autistic and

that her intelligence at the time of

birth would have probably been average

her mental abilities at the time she was

found were due to the abuse and

isolation her father put her under

her physical condition was also entirely

a consequence of the neglect and abuse

inflicted on her at the most crucial

moments of development and growth for

children

jeannie made incredible progress in the

short period she spent in hospital she

began understanding when she was being

talked to began showing emotions such as

curiosity and began paying attention

when someone was speaking

she also began putting on weight and

going to the bathroom on her own slowly

becoming in control of her bladder she

also began to recognize the doctors who

were treating her and would show

happiness when they arrived even trying

to make them stay when it was time for

them to leave

after months she acquired enough

vocabulary and understanding of emotions

to express happiness or fear

she also slowly became more affectionate

and began giving hugs to the people she

trusted the most

she still had a hard time being in

crowds but when taken away from them she

would calm down

after spending a few months in recovery

at the hospital

jean butler genie's special education

teacher at the hospital began fostering

genie for some time

the hospital didn't approve of this

decision as they thought it could

interfere with the study but regardless

genie moved in with jean

in her journals jean wrote about the

progress genie made while at home with

her she began expressing anger or

frustration through words instead of

attacking herself and she was also much

more talkative in general her language

improved greatly

however although her intentions were

good butler's care did interfere with

the overall study and therapy genie

needed and she refused to cooperate with

some of the specialists jeannie needed

to see

the other doctors thought butler was

keeping genie's progress to herself in

hopes that it would one day make her

famous

the authorities decided she was not the

best fit to gain full custody of genie

and the child was moved to a different

home

genie then began living with david

wrigler one of the therapists working

the case

mrs wrigler was a social worker and had

a degree in human development so the

couple were both trained to observe

genie's progress

although it was meant to be temporary

genie ended up spending almost four

years with the wrigglers and their

children

during her stay with the wrigglers

jeannie continued developing her verbal

communication they focused on teaching

her more vocabulary and at one point

jeannie talked briefly about her

childhood meaning she had a recollection

of the events that happened to her in

her early years

this is how jeannie described how her

father would beat her

father hit arm big wood genie cry

not spit

father

hit face spit

father hit big stick

father is angry

father hit genie big stick

father take peace would hit

cry

father make me cry

father is dead

and she was right clark wiley was dead

[Music]

after genius discovery by social workers

both parents were arrested

eventually the charges against irene

were dropped as examinations determined

she was under abuse as well

specialists stated that neglect towards

her child was caused mainly because of

the abuse she endured from her own

husband as well as the visual impairment

she suffered from

clark however was charged with child

abuse

a few days before one of his court

appearances he committed suicide by

shooting himself

in 1975 jeannie turned 18.

her mother had been frequently visiting

her during her time spent on foster

homes building a relationship with her

irene's attorney john miner was genie's

legal guardian although jeannie was

still living with the wriglers when she

turned 18 jeannie moved back in with her

mother into her childhood home

legal guardianship was eventually

transferred to irene however jeannie's

mother found it hard to cope with her

behavior and quickly asked for help from

the health department without consulting

her therapist she placed jeannie in a

series of different foster homes

she also sued the hospital therapists

and workers who had participated in

genius studies after the release of the

dissertation genie a psycholinguistic

study of a modern day wild child saying

she did not agree with the content and

found a lot of it offensive

the lawsuit never went to trial and was

eventually dismissed

from 1977 to the early 90s jeannie was

placed in many foster homes where she

was abused causing great impact in all

of her improvements from the years

before

around 1993 she moved into a facility in

an undisclosed location in los angeles

where she was finally doing better and

taken care of and was allowed visits

from her mother and the wrigglers who

stayed in contact with her regularly

not much is known after that

there have been some articles and

reports done on her story and

journalists have been able to contact

her a handful of times but not much else

is reported

she is living a simple life in a private

facility and her privacy is still

respected

jeannie's mother died at the age of 87

in 2003

her brother went on to live his own life

after running away from home

he refused to read anything about genie

and only saw her once after leaving

he died in 2011 without having seen a

sister for over 40 years

and that's the story of jeannie wylie a

child who was robbed of her life forever

because of her father

it was later discovered that clark

thought genie would die very young due

to her condition but if she managed to

live past the age of 12 he'd let

jeannie's mother seek help and special

care for her psychiatrists think clark

may have been enduring this abuse and

isolation in hopes that genie's

condition would become more severe and

she would eventually die naturally

once rescued there was amazing hope at

the progress she made during her first

few years of recovery and therapy

however her constant moving around

foster homes and the lack of stability

meant genie never reached her full

potential

her case although groundbreaking for the

test and studies is considered a failure

because of the outcome

doctors and therapists blame the many

problems caused by local laws and the

process involving her placement and

custody which was in no way prepared for

the care she needed

so although genie managed to escape her

prison the consequences from the abuse

were so severe she now has to live with

them for the rest of her life

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