Police have confirmed a woman kidnapped nearly 20 years ago in California when she was a girl of 11 has turned up alive in San Francisco.
They have also revealed the woman, Jaycee Lee Dugard, has had two children by her abductor, a known paedophile named Phillip Garrido.
Officers told a press conference the three were kept in "a series of sheds" and two tents in the backyard of Garrido's house.
Like Austrian Josef Fritzl's victims, they lived in complete isolation. Their "compound" was not visible from the outside and the girls had never been to school or seen a doctor.
Jaycee Lee and her daughters, who apparently made no attempts to escape, were all said to be in good health. The two girls are 11 and 15.
Now 29, Jaycee Lee was snatched from outside her family's home in South Lake Tahoe in 1991 as she was walking to a school bus stop.
Garrido, 58, is being held in connection with the abduction, along with his 55-year-old wife Nancy.
Jaycee Lee's family have spoken to her and are travelling to San Francisco to be reunited with her.
Her stepfather, Carl Probyn, who is now separated from her mother, described it as "like winning the lottery".
"To have this happen where we get her back alive, and where she remembers things from the past, and to have people in custody is a triple win."
Mr Probyn, 60, witnessed his stepdaughter's kidnapping 18 years ago from the drive of their home.
She was bundled screaming into a car and driven away. He gave chase on his bicycle but failed to catch the vehicle.
The case attracted national coverage and was featured on the TV show America's Most Wanted.
The kidnapping suspects, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, live near Antioch.
Phillip Garrido is being held on suspicion of kidnapping, rape, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, sexual penetration and conspiracy.
Nancy Garrido has been detained on suspicion of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The couple were arrested after they walked into a police station with Jaycee Lee - whom they called 'Allissa' - and her daughters to make an inquiry.
An officer who became suspicious ran a check on Garrido and found he was a registered sex offender with a conviction for rape.
Records show he also has a conviction for kidnapping in 1980.
Neighbours of Garrido have described him as "weird". One told the San Francisco Chronicle there were bars on the windows and doors of his house and he believed he could talk to God.
His next-door neighbour Haydee Perry said that when Garrido helped her jump-start her car a month ago, he had a pre-adolescent girl clinging to him in a manner that struck her as odd.
The girl told Mrs Perry that Garrido was her father and that she had older sisters, including one who was 28 - a year younger than Jaycee is believed to be now.
"She stayed close to him at all times," Mrs Perry said of the girl. "It wasn't normal behaviour. She had a blank stare on her face."
It has emerged that Garrido, who owns a printing business, has a blog entitled 'Voices Revealed' and has been running a church from his home.
His last blog was posted on Friday August 14. In it he writes: "... the Creator has given me the ability to speak in the tongue of angels in order to provide a wake-up call that will in time include the salvation of the entire world."
US Kidnap: Jaycee Lee Dugard Found Alive 18 Years After Being Snatched Near Her Home In California | World News | Sky News
They have also revealed the woman, Jaycee Lee Dugard, has had two children by her abductor, a known paedophile named Phillip Garrido.
Officers told a press conference the three were kept in "a series of sheds" and two tents in the backyard of Garrido's house.
Like Austrian Josef Fritzl's victims, they lived in complete isolation. Their "compound" was not visible from the outside and the girls had never been to school or seen a doctor.
Jaycee Lee and her daughters, who apparently made no attempts to escape, were all said to be in good health. The two girls are 11 and 15.
Now 29, Jaycee Lee was snatched from outside her family's home in South Lake Tahoe in 1991 as she was walking to a school bus stop.
Garrido, 58, is being held in connection with the abduction, along with his 55-year-old wife Nancy.
Jaycee Lee's family have spoken to her and are travelling to San Francisco to be reunited with her.
Her stepfather, Carl Probyn, who is now separated from her mother, described it as "like winning the lottery".
"To have this happen where we get her back alive, and where she remembers things from the past, and to have people in custody is a triple win."
Mr Probyn, 60, witnessed his stepdaughter's kidnapping 18 years ago from the drive of their home.
She was bundled screaming into a car and driven away. He gave chase on his bicycle but failed to catch the vehicle.
The case attracted national coverage and was featured on the TV show America's Most Wanted.
The kidnapping suspects, Phillip and Nancy Garrido, live near Antioch.
Phillip Garrido is being held on suspicion of kidnapping, rape, lewd and lascivious acts with a minor, sexual penetration and conspiracy.
Nancy Garrido has been detained on suspicion of conspiracy and kidnapping.
The couple were arrested after they walked into a police station with Jaycee Lee - whom they called 'Allissa' - and her daughters to make an inquiry.
An officer who became suspicious ran a check on Garrido and found he was a registered sex offender with a conviction for rape.
Records show he also has a conviction for kidnapping in 1980.
Neighbours of Garrido have described him as "weird". One told the San Francisco Chronicle there were bars on the windows and doors of his house and he believed he could talk to God.
His next-door neighbour Haydee Perry said that when Garrido helped her jump-start her car a month ago, he had a pre-adolescent girl clinging to him in a manner that struck her as odd.
The girl told Mrs Perry that Garrido was her father and that she had older sisters, including one who was 28 - a year younger than Jaycee is believed to be now.
"She stayed close to him at all times," Mrs Perry said of the girl. "It wasn't normal behaviour. She had a blank stare on her face."
It has emerged that Garrido, who owns a printing business, has a blog entitled 'Voices Revealed' and has been running a church from his home.
His last blog was posted on Friday August 14. In it he writes: "... the Creator has given me the ability to speak in the tongue of angels in order to provide a wake-up call that will in time include the salvation of the entire world."
US Kidnap: Jaycee Lee Dugard Found Alive 18 Years After Being Snatched Near Her Home In California | World News | Sky News
