Believing she was mentally retarded, Clark Wiley locked his daughter away, separating her from her nearly blind mother and 6-year-old brother, under the guise of protecting her. Genie's father, Clark Wiley, disliked children and wanted none of his own. No one was allowed to interact with the girl who was mostly locked in a blacked-out room or in a makeshift cage. "I think I trusted the wrong people.". 2. Clark Gray Wiley (1901 - 1970) - Genealogy "The case comes back to haunt me," said Linley, who now lives in Washington state. By the time Dorothy left her husband, Genie would be almost 14 years old. Her mother was almost entirely blind by this time . But it's never too late.". She never said a word. Maybe I failed him. Genie quickly began growing and gaining weight, gradually becoming more confident in her movements, and after a while, she had good hand-eye coordination. He hated the noise and stress they brought along. The initial result of the assessment showed that Wiley had the mental ability equivalent to a one-year-old. Wileys mother died in 2003, her brother John in 2011, and her niece Pamela in 2012. Authorities tipped off police after observing Genie's odd behavior. Genie, The Feral Child, part 1 - I Can't Believe It's NonFiction He married Dorothy Irene, Genies mother, and the two bore 4 children together. Isolating one child from language for the sake of a psychological study, much less enough children to prove the theory, is highly unethical. He survived only two days before dying from a genetic birth condition. Genie is only in her 60s now. Wiley Clark Obituary (2014) - Keystone Heights, FL - Gainesville Sun To language scientists, Wiley was a blank slate, a way to understand what part language has in our development and vice versa. Genie was taken into protective care and her parents were arrested. Irene escaped with Genie to her parents in 1970. The social worker attempted to speak to Susan but she was mute. Genies father punished her for making noise or for acting out, especially during feeding time, if Genie attempted to make any sounds, Clark beat her with a wooden board until she was silent. piece of wood. Genie is now in a foster home and never speaks to anyone because her foster parents punished her for vomiting, and Genie refused to speak or interact with anyone after that. Due to this, she was unable to learn how to speak and function in society. I have forgiven, but I cant forget,he said. Dorothy described him at that time as, a paranoid violent psychopath. In a twist of dramatic irony, Genie Wiley now became deeply wanted. The Wileys second baby died of a congenital defect, and then came along Genie Wiley and her brother John. John is the brother of "Genie," a pseudonym for the toddler whom Clark Wiley forced into a handmade straitjacket and strapped her by day to a potty seat and by night in a metal-covered crib. Father. answer choices She drowned in the pool. Genie the Feral Child: the Girl Who Spent 13 Years Locked in a Room All Within a year, Genies mother sued many of the researchers involved in Genies case. If Story via Huck Magazine IllustratorWeshoyot Alvitre grew up in Southern Californias Tongva homelands in the 80s and 90s. Genie the Feral Childs case did help to establish that there is a point beyond which total language fluency is impossible if the subject does not already speak one language fluently. At 14, she had the physical development of a 7-year-old. Feral children may grow up in the wilderness, completely abandoned by their parents. She wasnt socialized, and her behavior was distasteful, began Susie Curtiss, a linguist intimately involved in the feral child study, but she just captivated us with her beauty.. Genies father, Clark Wiley, disliked children and wanted none of his own. Join us as we explore the unexplained and uncover the hidden secrets of our world. "He would write me a note excusing me from gym so the kids didn't see my privates in the showers.". An emergency home search was conducted on the Wiley household which resulted in one of the most disturbing and compelling child abuse cases the medical world has ever known. Getty ImagesFor the first 13 years of her life, Genie Wiley suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents. She could not previously chew and swallow solid food and would instead hold the mush her parents fed her in her mouth until saliva broke it down. She had recently left her abusive husband. By the time Lewis was reunited with Clark, his leg was nearly mended. Clark had no desire to be a father, as made evident by the way he treated his children. what happened and how she was treated, 3:25 - 3:29 I mean, everybody was shocked and just unbelievable. Her situation attracted a lot of attention from the worldwide community of psychologists. Dorothy, then, dedicated herself to Genie. Associated PressClark Wiley (center left) and John Wiley (center right) after the abuse scandal broke open. Because it was difficult for families to care for Genie, she was moved from one foster care facility to another. Her brother, who ran away from home at the age of eighteen, died in 2011 due to diabetic complications. She knew but a few words when she entered UCLAs Childrens Hospital and was dubbed by medical professionals there as the most profoundly damaged child they had ever seen.. Doctors and scientists took over Genies care while she was in the hospital. Just after Genies birth, Clarks mother was killed by a drunk driver which sent him into a rage. Their first baby died after being left in a cold garage and the second from birth complications. But Genie the Feral Child disproved this. Without any conclusive results, the case study lost funding, and Genie was placed in foster care by the state. Listen above to the History Uncovered podcast, episode 36: Genie Wiley, also available on. Did Wileys developmental delay come as a symptom of her abuse, or was Wiley born challenged? Genie Wileys present life is little-known; once her mother took custody, she refused to let her daughter be the subject of any more studies. However, on the day of trial, her father shot and killed himself. When Clark left the house the next day, Irene left with Genie to visit her parents in Monterey Park. She claimed that the researchers had crossed boundaries, breached confidentiality agreements, and overworked Genie. Butler quarantined Genie during a measles outbreak and kept her away from other scientists. His first three children died, probably at his hands but their deaths weren't placed on him. Her father, Clark grew up in foster homes and orphanages in his native Pacific Northwest, Irene who is Genie's mother, grew up in Altus, Oklahoma. Genie was also strapped to a child's toilet chair and a crib with a chicken wire lid for multiple hours. That was also part of the breakdown that turned her treatment into such a tragedy.. abuse she was incapable of crying. Her intense trauma proved something of a godsend to scientists of various fields including psychology and linguistics, though they were later accused of exploiting the child for their research on learning and development. The room was a dark as a coal mine at midnight. His mother, allegedly a prostitute, neglected Clark and he eventually went to live with his grandmother. "I've been able to block out my past," he said, sipping a brandy and ginger ale in his cramped but neat townhouse. Rigler, too, recalled how one time a father and his young son carrying a fire engine passed by Wiley. Clark was swiftly arrested on charges of child abuse. She grabbed Genie and made her way to the welfare offices to try and get money for their new life. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. They monitored her brain activity, observing that she had an estimated mental age of a 5- to 8-year-old. In an evaluation of Genie's case by medical researchers, logs in the Special Collection library at UCLA noted that John had been "written off" early in the child abuse investigation. Genies father hated the sound (crying, screaming) of his daughter. She has been deprived of love, nurture and being human. This childhood had a profound effect on Clark, as for the rest of his life hed fixate on the figure of his mother. PracticalPie.com is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program. The researchers may have done more harm than good to Genie. On November 4, 1970, Los Angeles Child Services discovered 13-year-old Susan Wiley, who had the appearance of a 6-year-old and was unable to walk, feed herself, or even use the bathroom. Your email address will not be published. She was smart. In 1979, her mother filed a lawsuit against the hospital and her daughters individual caregivers, including the scientists on the Genie Team, alleging they exploited Wiley for prestige and profit. The suit was settled in 1984 and Wileys contact with her researchers all but entirely severed. When Genie Wiley and her mother mistakenly walked into a Los Angeles County welfare office, the child's appearance petrified everyone present. Her case made national headlines, and because she was a minor, her true name was never used in stories. For the first 13 years of her life, Genie Wiley suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents. TLCSusan Curtiss, a UCLA linguistics professor, helps Genie the Feral Child to find her voice. While her brother also faced their fathers abuse, it was nothing compared to Susans suffering. Permanently strapped in a chair by her deranged father, Genie has spent her whole life locked in a room with no way to the outside world. Her research brought her to excavate at various Classic Maya sites in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. However, her mother told the researchers that she was not allowed to feed Genie, and she tried to give her food late at night around 11:00 PM. All charges against Genies mother were dropped after she cited that the abuse she suffered from Clark prevented her from being able to care for Genie. The Story of Genie Wiley, an Abused, Feral Child - Verywell Mind His theory of universal grammar appeared to support the idea that language is wired into our brains. However, the wrangles between scientists about the best course for her care and development caused inconsistencies in her records, forcing the National Institute of Mental Health to withdraw funding. If something went down, you would, Christian Choate wanted to die, he wrote letters before his agonizing death describing how he was abused by his family, Kelly Anne Bates was dating a man three times her age. Genie was staying with Jean Butler, a researcher, at the time. When Was Genie the Feral Child Found? - Fantastic Facts answer choices She had been a victim of severe abuse, neglect, and isolation since her birth. Genies mother was a passive person who was constantly on the receiving end of her husbands rage. There, she became the subject of Susan Curtiss, a UCLA linguistics professor. Her father started keeping her in a locked room when she was about 20 months old. Genies mother told authorities that she tried to interact with her daughter whenever she could, but she was beaten severely by her husband. ", Amid his work boots, painter's ladder and tools, the Bible sat on a small bookshelf next to a Boy Scout handbook and "Success for Dummies.". Genie stooped and walked like a rabbit, couldnt control her bowel movements, and had a rare dental condition that caused the growth of two sets of teeth. The feral child began to make rapid progress, proving her father's claim that she was mentally disabled incorrect. She was left in soiled diapers for days at a time. His daughter, now 25, lives nearby, but he said she has her own emotional problems, and he doesn't see much of his two young grandchildren. Others believe that Clark was delusional, spurred by intense feelings of rage and grief after the death of Clarks mother. "It was a cage for the child. Their third child, a boy named John Gray, born 5 years before Genie, also suffered abuse at the hands of Clark. Genie cry Not spit. She had, in fact, walked into a general social services office. She was not autistic, nor did she suffer from any mental or physical illness. stooped and seldom made eye contact. Despite this, she returned to foster care until she turned 18, when authorities placed her in an adult care home. Tortured, Starved, Alone: Genie Wiley, The Tragic Story Of A Feral Child Genie had been kept in isolation in a small, dark bedroom all 13 years of her life. John was forced to assist his father in abusing Genie. PracticalPsychology. Clark would also force his son to abuse Genie. The Tragic Case of Genie the Feral Child The case of Genie the feral child came to public attention in 1970 on November 4 by accident. Disconnected from his family, but unable to escape the past. Genie was taken into protective care and her parents were arrested. Butler was able to contribute some integral insights on Wiley in this environment, including the feral childs fascination with collecting buckets and other containers that stored liquid, a common trait amongst other children who have faced extreme isolation. Many questions, including that of whether she really had a mental disability like her father suggested, have gone unanswered. John last saw his sister in 1982, and his mother died in 2003. Dorothy Irene, the couples first child, was born in 1948. He was abusive to his wife and son when they engaged with her as well. The social worker assumed that Genie was about 6 years old and noted that she seemed to display some autistic qualities. Genie appeared to be six or seven years old and possibly autistic. She had a five-year-old brother with allegedly no developmental disabilities. For Genie, her thoughts were virtually never verbally encoded, but there are many ways to think.. In one hand, a walking stick to guide her through the city. Clark committed suicide before he could go to court and face his crimes. Instead of Susan Wiley, the Wild Child became known as Genie., One distinct feature of feral children is that they never develop a first language. If she did have mental and developmental disabilities, like her father believed as an infant, the impact of his cruelty would be a less prominent factor in her delays. An entire team of researchers visited her for years, sometimes on a daily basis. There Wiley was beaten for vomiting and regressed greatly. Genie a fake name given to hide her identity had been the subject of abuse at the hands of her father for more than a decade. The greatest tragedy was Genie being abandoned after all the attention. She also became a testament to what happens when medical and social services fail a victim of abuse. As for Genies parents, they were set to stand trial for child abuse shortly after Genie entered the childrens hospital. MU Podcasts. In the aftermath of Genies discovery, authorities neglected John and the struggles he went through. Clark Wiley's Cage - Warehouse 13 Artifact Database Wiki While the rest of the family slept in the living room, Genies father kept her in the second bedroom in the back of the house. When asked what happened to her in her home, Genie spoke in a hesitant manner: Father hit arm. The first foster home that Genie had was the home of her special education teacher, Jean Butler. Ali co-founded annual music festival LA Psych Fest, and has worked with various organizations including Playing For Change, ChangeFire and Cornerstone Orphanages in Central America, and Voice of Roma. He later recalled visiting Susan Wiley on her 27th birthday and seeing: A large, bumbling woman with a facial expression of cowlike incomprehension her eyes focus poorly on the cake. Exclusive shows & extensions. Hopefully, shes been able to find some peace after a traumatic life. When authorities began looking into parents Irene and Clark Wiley, they discovered that two of their children died within months of their births. It was founded in 1873 by Bishop Issac Wiley of the Methodist Episcopal Church and the Freedman's Aid Society to prepare the newly emancipated people for the future. ", Police found meticulous logs, noting each time the paranoid father locked a door or shrouded the windows from nosy neighbors. Clark ran his household like a cult, and was extremely paranoid. John briefly moved in with his maternal grandparents, then stayed with friends and returned briefly to the family home. John's life was spared by the hit-and-run driver in 1958, but the event condemned him back to the home of abusive parents a nearly blind, mentally ill mother and tyrannical father, who in 1970 would be charged in one of the most horrific cases of child abuse in modern history. They may also grow up in a home, like Genie did. A title that would perfectly encapsulate what her life was to become. Clark was the son of a brother owner, who had been bounced around from foster home to foster home his whole life. Genie Wiley was then nearly 14 but she looked no more than eight. She was attached with a chair in a makeshift straitjacket for 13 years. Genies family treated her like a monster, forcing spooned food into her mouth as quickly as possible, and if she choked or didnt swallow quickly enough, the person feeding her rubbed the food on her face. Though he was always a bit off, the death of Clark Wileys mother by a drunk driver in 1958 seemed to undo him completely. The story of Genie Wiley the Feral Child sounds like the stuff of fairytales: An unwanted, mistreated child survives brutal imprisonment at the hands of a savage ogre and is rediscovered and reintroduced to the world in an impossibly youthful state. "I don't think he wanted me to have children, and it's a wonder I did," said John, whose beatings continued throughout his teen years. Dorothy, whose eyesight had been failing since an accident as a child, married Clark on September 28, 1944 in Los Angeles County. Under the care of her medical and rehabilitation team, Genie began to make significant progress. She could hold a set of pictures so they told a story. Genie was by far the most damaged child they had ever seen. He continued to threaten his wife, and only allowed his son to leave the house to go to school. After some tests, doctors concluded she had the cognitive level of a one-year-old child even though she was 13. Never socialized, never educated, and never given warmth or human stimulation. "Captive Girl" Susan (aka 'Genie') Wiley's father Clark Wiley committed Father hit Genie big stick. "My house was like a concentration camp," said Wiley, whose confessions were confirmed by numerous interviews with researchers and police. would similarly chain her inside of a baby crib with chicken wire surrounding Temple City, California She had recently left her abusive husband. Since then, he has shunned almost any association or documentation of his past. . By November 17, 1970, Genie was national news. She had other signs of intelligence. For Genie, her thoughts were virtually never verbally encoded, but there are many ways to think. Genie was prone to fits of self-harm and public masturbation. Genie learned to play, dress, and enjoy music. She learned some language after puberty. Genie (feral child) | Psychology Wiki | Fandom Her near-blindness led her to the state social services office. again), enforced strict rules and forbid anyone, including Susan, from having The Wiley's second baby died of a congenital defect, and then came along Genie Wiley and her brother John. Wild child 'genie': A tortured life | 6abc Philadelphia | 6abc.com I dare you not to move to Male Tears. She resembled a little white rabbit frail, small, with a strange hop to her step, pale, her arms and hands curled up into her chest and a timid look in her eye. In her own words, Genie Wiley, the Feral Child recalled: Father hit arm. The Riglers ended their care for Genie, later stating in a 1994 NOVA documentary that they assumed that the foster care arrangement was temporary.. Required fields are marked *. A mother, suffering from cataracts, walked into a Los Angeles County welfare office by mistake. John endured regular beatings from Clark, including blows to his testicles inflicted to make him sterile. Nonetheless, the first baby girl did come along and Wiley left the child in the garage to freeze to death when she wouldn't be quiet. The home in which Genie Wiley was raised by her abusive parents. For many of us, our thoughts are verbally encoded. [] Not spit. Her intensely abusive father and helpless mother so neglected Wiley that she hadnt learned to speak and her growth was so stunted that she looked like she was no more than eight years old. Genie Wiley: Feral and Forgotten : r/TrueCrimeDiscussion - Reddit On the first day of Clarks trial, he shot himself in the head and left a note at his feet that read: The world will never understand. That year, Genie and her mother were allowed out of the house after a huge fight with Clark. answer choices True False Question 8 300 seconds Q. Much of what is known about what was going on in the house came from Clarks journals during this time. During this time, Dorothy was confined to the house as well. A foodie, wanderlust victim, professional Francophile, and history nerd, Andrew Milne is a freelance writer who has worked at outlets like Bon Apptit and Food Network, and currently runs content at, Meet Pedro Rodrigues Filho, The Real-Life "Dexter" Serial Killer Of Other Criminals, 9 Terrifying Stories Of Real-Life Exorcisms That Will Chill You To The Bone, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. Wiley's youngest daughter suffered the most abuse from her father yet still survived. And every time we came in and I know this was so with others, as well He would slide open the little window and hand her something that wasnt wrapped, a bone of some sort, some meat, fish, whatever. But one day, 14 years after Genie Wileys first introduction to her fathers cruelty, her mother did finally muster her courage and leave. Cry. John had brushes with the law, including 10 days in jail for stealing cars. Linguistic development of Genie - Wikipedia Oglesby was a Dust Bowl refugee who had drifted to the Los Angeles area where she met her husband. John moved away from Los Angeles at this time. Maybe I failed him. Warped murderers who will die in jail as killer cop Wayne Couzens given full life sentence John pulled out a stack of family photographs shuffled together in a plastic box the only remnants from his past. Many psychologists believe that Clark felt that he had to protect Genie, partially explaining his horrific behavior later in Genies life. Russ Rymer, a journalist, painted a bleak picture of Genies condition during her 27th birthday. Genie was born at a healthy weight and height. All we know, Was Craig Breen married? Although the cruelty and trauma endured by Genie undoubtedly slowed her development, other research argues that her developmental disabilities were also due to her genetic makeup. On November 4, 1970, Los Angeles Child Services discovered 13-year-old Susan Wiley, who had the appearance of a 6-year-old and was unable to walk, feed herself, or even use the bathroom. His grandmothers death seemed to unlock a new level of cruelty in Clark. When the baby cried, he found it upsetting and placed it in the garage. Once he had reconciled with her, Clark became obsessed with his mother. ApolloEight Genesis/YouTubeThe home in which Genie Wiley was raised by her abusive parents. When his son came back to the house, he had to identify himself in various ways to be let in. suddenly cut off. Genie started to attend nursery school, further broadening her vocabulary. In 1970, when Genie Wiley was 13 years old, Dorothy took her daughter to her parents house after a vicious argument with her husband. Irene Wiley, Genies mother, obtained legal guardianship for her daughter, but Genie had already been placed in a home. Genie Wiley hopped and held her hands in front of her like a rabbit when she was discovered by social services. He would physically and mentally abuse her if he believed that she had tried. "I was left out in left field and no one came to my rescue," Wiley, now 56 and living a modest life as a house painter in Ohio, told ABCNEWS.com in his first-ever interview about a life spent recovering from the tragedy. 1:33 - 1:36 A loner, Clark had turned his back on the world. Cry. Thus, he banished society from her. Genies placement in foster care homes proved detrimental to her development. Jay Shurley, a professor present at Genies 29th birthday, offered a similarly somber assessment:It was heartrending.Attempts to contact Genie are routinely rebuffed by authorities.