Behind The Smile of Jaycee Lee Dugard
After being held captive for 18 years, Jaycee Lee Dugard is finally speaking out. We're also seeing the first photos of her since being rescued from Phillip Garrido's backyard prison.
National correspondent Hattie Kauffman joined from Los Angeles with the latest on the case.
Kauffman saw that backyard prison - the horrible environment in which Jaycee was held, raped, and forced to bear children for her attacker. The first photos in People magazine come after she has spent nearly two months recovering.
The blond hair is darker now, but Jaycee Dugard's smile and piercing blue eyes so prominent in the missing posters 18 years ago remain the same.
She looks remarkably young, and happy. Kauffman showed the photo to forensic psychiatrist Dr. Saul Faerstein.
"The smile on her face is quite deceptive. It's a true expression of what she's feeling right now, but inside, there's confusion, it's pain. There are a lot of things she needs to work through," Dr. Faerstein said.
Inside Jaycee Lee Dugard's Photo Shoot
Since Dugard and her two daughters were freed from the backyard prison, she's been in seclusion with family. Last month, her aunt told reporters Jaycee's doing very well
"Jaycee is a remarkable young woman who has raised two beautiful daughters. They are clever, articulate, curious girls who have a bright future ahead of them," her aunt said.
Jaycee was 11 years old when she was kidnapped.
"She's really traumatized," Dr. Faerstein said. "[She] Missed 19 years of her life, and these two children are a constant reminder of this man who did these despicable things to her."
Police arrested Phillip and Nancy Garrido and charged them with her kidnapping and sexual assault.
Police say Jaycee is cooperating with the investigation and will testify against the Garridos.
As a part of that investigation police combed through the Garrido's backyard, looking for clues in the disappearance of other young girls. They unearthed some bone fragments, but analysis shows them to be ancient American Indian remains.
Erika Schulte, a spokesperson for the Dugard family, appeared on The Early Show Wednesday to talk about how Jaycee is doing today.
"I think people will be surprised how great Jaycee looks. When you hear somebody has been through what she has been through, you have preconceptions, but she looks healthy and young," co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez noted.
"She just radiates. I was thrilled when I saw the photo because it was the perfect representation of what she looks like and it speaks to her joy with being with her family now and looking forward to her new life," Schulte said. "She's a grown-up, she's a mother and a sister and a daughter. And it's amazing to just be in the presence of all of that. And if you walked into the room and didn't know the circumstances, it would seem, I think, like any other family."
"She is a mother to these two girls, who are 11 and 15, Starlit and Angel, and old enough to understand what's happening. Do they?" Rodriguez asked.
"I haven't spent a lot of time talking with the girls, other than, you know, just getting to know each other, but I'm not really privy to that kind of information," Schulte explained. "I don't know what their awareness would be. But they are just so embraced by Terry, Jaycee's mother, and by Shayna, her sister, their new aunt. And they're very much seem to me to be enjoying the life they have now."
Asked if she's expressed how she feels about Phillip Garrido, Schulte said, "You know, when I talk to with them, it's always about the future. Enjoying the moment or looking ahead."
"Is she willing to testify against Phillip and Nancy in court?" Rodriguez asked.
"She understands that the prosecution is going to need to move forward and it's going to require her cooperation to do so. So, you know, she is cooperating fully in whatever form that takes. She's prepared to do what needs to be done," Schulte said.
Why did she go public now, considering she could've kept her anonymity, Schulte said, "She is so appreciative of the outpouring of love and support. And worldwide. We were all, I think, kind of relieved when we saw the picture and how great she looks. She understands there's an interest in that. And she wants people to know that she's doing good and she's really happy and now we can all see for ourselves and be relieved that she's going to be okay."