The team that took on her case would later rename Susan as Genie the mythical creature that is trapped in a lamp and freed after human stimulation breaks the curse. Genie stooped and walked like a rabbit, couldn't control her bowel movements, and had a rare dental condition that caused the growth of two sets of teeth. Genie is used as an example of feral child syndrome and has been studied in developmental psychology. John pulled out a stack of family photographs shuffled together in a plastic box the only remnants from his past. 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. By the time Lewis was reunited with Clark, his leg was nearly mended. Due to this, she was unable to learn how to speak and function in society. But, one can hope that wherever she is, she continues to find joy in discovering the still-new world around her, and instills in others the fascination and affection that she had for her researchers. Butler quarantined Genie during a measles outbreak and kept her away from other scientists. She did, however, respond to her own name on occasion. For those four years, Wiley became the center of these scientists lives. After Genie's release at the age of 13, she was studied by a team of well-financed researchers and captured the world's attention, becoming known as a modern "wild child." Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to I Cant Believe Its NonFiction and www.icantbeliveitsnonfiction.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. During this time, she was able to learn some sign language and communicate through drawings. Some question whether the constant tests hampered her recovery. Genie, at the age of 13, appeared to be about 6 or 7 years old. This would coincide with the size of the room that she was kept in. Genie Wileys mother was legally blind, which was supposedly the reason why she felt she couldnt intervene on her daughters behalf during the abuse. 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. However, on the day of trial, her father shot and killed himself. His daughter turned to crack cocaine for solace after Johns marriage with his wife ended. "I tried to put [Genie] out of my mind because of the shame," he said. Doctors and scientists took over Genies care while she was in the hospital. again), enforced strict rules and forbid anyone, including Susan, from having A collection of strange, but true, stories. 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. John Wiley's tortured life foretells brutal, lonely future for Austrian family. Genie Wiley was returned to foster care after the research on her ended. Some modern cases of feral children, like the case of Genie, are still alive today. Under the care of her medical and rehabilitation team, Genie began to make significant progress. Genies muscles were severely underdeveloped, and she couldnt feed herself. Clark was particularly sensitive to noise. Getty ImagesFor the first 13 years of her life, Genie Wiley suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents. Ive become powerless in my attempts to visit her or write to her. Many suspected autism, but a deeper investigation uncovered gruesome horrors. Genie never showed any signs of progress toward further development. And he would allow her to do her thing with it, and to do her thing, what her thing was, basically, was to explore it tactilely, to put it up against her lips and feel it with her lips and touch it, almost as if she were blind.. Eerily, the two phrases linguists recorded her saying were no more and stop it.. Her inability to use grammar provides evidence for the critical period hypothesis. No police charges were filed at that time against Clark. But in the swell of publicity about Genie, John, who witnessed his younger sister's abuse and also suffered at the hands of their sadistic father, has never received a minute of treatment or public attention in the nearly 40 years since. In 1970, a strange fifty-year-old woman came to an appointment with one of the employees of the Department of Social Assistance in the California city of Temple City. He married Catherine Gallagher on 14 December 1871, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Genie became a scientific and medical marvel and would become one of the leading testaments in medical history on the unimaginable consequences of child abuse. For all their contributions to understanding human nature, the Genie Team was not without its critics. Genie was by far the most damaged child they had ever seen. She had, in fact, walked into a general social services office. That year, Genie and her mother were allowed out of the house after a huge fight with Clark. They just connected and communicated somehow. 2023 Mysterious Facts | All Rights Reserved. Dorothy accidentally walked into the social services office one door over. Father take piece wood hit. He wrote: A large, bumbling woman with a facial expression of cowlike incomprehension her eyes focus poorly on the cake. 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. After the death, he shunned everything to do with Genie and his family, but he can never completely forget it. With over 2 million YouTube subscribers, over 500 articles, and an annual reach of almost 12 million students, it has become one of the most popular sources of psychological information. Her linguistic development was that of a 1- or 2-year-old. Nonetheless, the first baby girl did come along and Wiley left the child in the garage to freeze to death when she wouldnt be quiet. He continued to threaten his wife, and only allowed his son to leave the house to go to school. 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. Wiley underwent multiple rehabilitation steps and was administered many emotional and cognitive tests to assess her condition. Dorothy, blind and overwhelmed with the task of caring for Genie, gave her up again to the social services office and Genie went on to live in a series of state-run institutions. Chomsky believed that humans have an innate ability to acquire language. Earlier that same day, Genies dad, Clark Wiley, had left home to get groceries. He locked Genie in a lifeless basement, and when he came to feed her, he beat her every time she made a noise. They were joined, Vera Jo Reigle, 24, was brutally murdered on March 26th, 2011. 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. When authorities began looking into parents Irene and Clark Wiley, they discovered that two of their children died within months of their births. She was kept isolated and confined by her father for most of her childhood, which stunted her language and social development. Her research brought her to excavate at various Classic Maya sites in Belize, Guatemala and Mexico. Within a year, Genies mother sued many of the researchers involved in Genies case. Genie cry. Unfortunately for Wiley, hers is a dark, real-life tale with no happy ending. While her circumstances until that point were undeniably tragic, they also presented an opportunity for psychologists, linguists, and other researchers to study . Welcome to our blog, where we delve into mysterious facts and mysteries. "He was a total dictator in the house," Linley said of Clark Wiley. Clark never allowed Genies mother, Dorothy Irene Wiley, and brother to interact with her. A woman, Dorothy Irene Wiley, had suffered cataracts in both eyes for several years and as a result, stumbled blindly into the wrong office. piece of wood. Eventually, they lost interest in her case, and she was placed in foster care. Genie was born into a pattern of neglect from her father that began with the couples first born, but Genie experienced the most prolonged abuse. 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 social worker soon discovered that the girl had been confined to a small room, and an investigation by authorities quickly revealed that the child had spent most of her life in . They monitored her brain activity, observing that she had an estimated mental age of a 5- to 8-year-old. Clark ran his household like a cult, and was extremely paranoid. Clark despised noise. It has since evolved into an online blog and YouTube channel providing mental health advice, tools, and academic support to individuals from all backgrounds. Genie quickly began growing and gaining weight, gradually becoming more confident in her movements, and after a while, she had good hand-eye coordination. Those who had taken on such When the social worker interviewed Dorothy for services, she revealed that Genie was actually 13 years old. Perhaps one of the most frightening side effects of Genies Only once did John's sparkling blue eyes moisten when he reflected on how his parents failed him. Where was Genie kept at the family home? She could draw in ways you would know exactly what she was communicating.. Because of Genies physical condition, the court ordered that she be transported to Childrens Hospital Los Angeles. John endured regular beatings from Clark, including blows to his testicles inflicted to make him sterile. Genie once learned to speak some words together, but after a while, she found it difficult to speak only one word, and she soon stopped speaking altogether. Her battle with dementia explained, How did Dr. Charles Stanley die? The charges against Dorothy were dropped, as she was considered a victim of Clarks abuse as well. In a twist of dramatic irony, Genie Wiley now became deeply wanted. All we know, Was Craig Breen married? Hitler could have taken lessons from him.". We would suggest that you contact Los Angeles County with your request.. Genie is far from the only case of recent feral children, but is one of the most infamous. Genie was malnourished, weak, and filthy when she arrived at the hospital. Russ Rymer, a journalist, tried to piece together what led to the dissolution of Wileys team, but he found the task challenging as the scientists had all divided on who was exploitative and who had the feral childs best interests in mind. According to later accounts from Genie's Brother, John, Clark would bark and growl at Genie like a dog if he felt she was being out of line and would encourage John to do the same. This would lead to slow language and physical development. Did Wileys developmental delay come as a symptom of her abuse, or was Wiley born challenged? He hated the noise and stress they brought along. Feral children may grow up in the wilderness, completely abandoned by their parents. Doctors reported that Genie walked awkwardly, spat all the time, and couldnt straighten her limbs all the way. But Genie the Feral Child disproved this. Wiley growled and barked at his daughter like a dog and if she made a noise, he beat her with a stick. The police were notified immediately. The state offices along with one of Practical Psychology began as a collection of study material for psychology students in 2016, created by a student in the field. John moved away from Los Angeles at this time. They seem to only exist in stories, like The Jungle Book or Tarzan. 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. He tied her to a childrens toilet, wearing this harness and only a diaper, for approximately 13 hours a day. ", Police found meticulous logs, noting each time the paranoid father locked a door or shrouded the windows from nosy neighbors. Mental health authorities didnt reply to a query sent by LA County. Dorothy was forbidden from contacting anyone outside of the house, including her parents. What do you think of when you hear the words, feral child? You might have come across a feral cat or feral dog at a shelter, but feral children are not anywhere near as common. John, who ran away from home, died in 2011 at the age of 58. She never asked for it. By the time Genie's plight was discovered by police, John, then 18, had run away from home, terrified of a father who was increasingly angry and violent. On November 4, 1970, Dorothy Wiley, the nearly blind wife of Clark Wiley, walked into what she thought was the Blind Services Office in Temple City, California. MU Podcasts. This isolation is what made Genie a feral child. During the day, Clark strapped Genie to a childs toilet with a diaper and DIY straightjacket. After his 17-year marriage ended, he said his own daughter turned to crack-cocaine for solace. Because she was not developing as quickly as her father believed she should be, he determined that she was mentally handicapped. Susan Curtiss, a UCLA professor who formed a bond with Genie, has similarly been unsuccessful in her attempts to contact or see Genie. 3:30 - 3:32 - For their whole marriage, But one day, 14 years after Genie Wileys first introduction to her fathers cruelty, her mother did finally muster her courage and leave. But she also relinquished care of Genie, leaving her to be bounced around from foster home to foster home. While eating, she held anything she could not swallow in her mouth until the saliva broke it down, and if it took too long she spat it out and mashed it with her fingers. The room was a dark as a coal mine at midnight. Genie became infamous not only because her case was one of the most horrific incidents of child abuse in modern history, but also because her situation was known to psychologists as a forbidden experiment. At the time that Genie was rescued from her parents, Noam Chomskys theory of innateness was popular in the linguistic psychology world. Authorities tipped off police after observing Genie's odd behavior. She was 13 but had the mental age of a baby and after thorough . On November 4, 1970, Dorothy Wiley, the nearly blind wife of Clark Wiley, walked into what she thought was the Blind Services Office in Temple City, California. One of the notes, for his son, John, said, Be a good boy, I love you. The other, for police, said, The world will never understand. [1]. 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. In 1970, she stumbled into social services, mistaking it for the office where theyd give aid to the blind. Genies placement in foster care homes proved detrimental to her development. Clark Wiley never wanted children. 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. Warped murderers who will die in jail as killer cop Wayne Couzens given full life sentence ", 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.". "[John] was as much a victim of the family dynamics as the younger sister was," said retired detective Frank Linley, who arrested Clark and Irene Wiley for child abuse in 1970. What does Genies case say about innate language acquisition? As John reached adolescence, his father punished him for his growing sexuality, tying his legs to a chair and pounding his testicles with the same "one-by-three-foot board" he used to beat Genie each time she made a noise. Genie was born to deranged parents. Inquiry, collaboration, and an emphasis on process-based learning are the heart of the STEAM approach. Hit face spit. She had large black glasses on. Clark would spoon-feed Genie, sometimes rubbing her face in the food. 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. Clark and Irene were charged with child neglect and abuse. He mostly fed her baby food, occasional soft-boiled eggs, cereal, and liquids. Dorothy, whose eyesight had been failing since an accident as a child, married Clark on September 28, 1944 in Los Angeles County. Her life has remained private since that incident, and she now resides in a foster care facility somewhere in California. An entire team of researchers visited her for years, sometimes on a daily basis. The lights were on.. 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. Clark committed suicide before he could go to court and face his crimes. Clark Wiley beat his daughter with a one-by-three-foot board nearly every time she uttered a sound. His father had killed himself, leaving his funeral clothes laid out on the bed along with two notes and $400 for John. But Genie Wileys case did beg the question: What does it mean to be human? When Genie was about 13 years and six months old, her parents got into a fight, and Irene threatened to leave if she couldnt call her own parents. Genie provided researchers a unique chance to look at the way that language is developed or stunted due to nature or nurture. Join us as we explore the unexplained and uncover the hidden secrets of our world. 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. Clark Wiley was born Pearl Wiley in 1901 the Oregan. The researchers may have done more harm than good to Genie. Its possible to know very little language and still be fully human, to love, form relationships and engage with the world. . She was given the name to protect her identity once she became a spectacle of scientific research and awe. Genies mother told authorities that she tried to interact with her daughter whenever she could, but she was beaten severely by her husband. She has been deprived of love, nurture and being human. He fed her as little as possible and refused to give her any solid food, instead sticking to baby food, cereal, pablum, an occasional soft-boiled egg, and liquids. the top and sides. Genie was taken to the childrens hospital and by time she was receiving a clean diaper and a physical exam, word about the mysterious feral child had spread. The name of the facility is unknown, and the private foundation responsible for her care refuses to divulge the information. 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. His theory of universal grammar appeared to support the idea that language is wired into our brains. I long to see her. Clark continued to beat her and threatened to kill her if she attempted to contact her parents or anyone else who lived nearby. The couple had another son, John, in 1952. "I was afraid to have kids because of my upbringing," he said. His mother, allegedly a prostitute, neglected Clark and he eventually went to live with his grandmother. Wileys case also posed some more existential questions about the human experience. However, John toldABC Newsthat he still retains optimism: They didnt give me the tools, the knowledge about accomplishment and setting goals and the Bible and God. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Their first child, Dorothy, was born on August 19, 1948. When she was 13 years and 7 months old, her abuse was brought to the attention of Los Angeles child welfare authorities in November 1970. Doctors were trying hard to recover her from the illness. Genie had so my losses, and here she was losing the one person who had remained in her life ever since I met her,Susan toldABC News. He survived only two days before dying from a genetic birth condition. Kept on a lead, barked at and fed. what happened and how she was treated, 3:25 - 3:29 I mean, everybody was shocked and just unbelievable. Genie Wiley was born in Los Angeles, California, in 1957. Wikimedia CommonsGenie Wiley was returned to foster care after the research on her ended. Suddenly the office door flung open, disturbing the humdrum ambiance of office noises and leading to an uncomfortable silence. 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. She did this kind of thing, somehow, to people.. Her assessment revealed that she had the cognitive ability of a one-year-old. Listen above to the History Uncovered podcast, episode 36: Genie Wiley, also available on Apple and Spotify. The college is one of 11 historically black United Methodist-related institutions of higher education and is financially supported by the denomination's Black College Fund. Unfortunately, we never really paid attention to him. Susan became close friends with Genie, helping her expand her previously nonexistent vocabulary, helping her grow her cherished plastic bucket collection, but most importantly showing Genie friendship and love. On a Wednesday afternoon in November 1970, social workers at the Los Angeles County Welfare Offices sat at their desks processing mountains of paperwork, answering phones, making small talk over coffee. Oglesby was a Dust Bowl refugee who had drifted to the Los Angeles area where she met her husband. Genie was staying with Jean Butler, a researcher, at the time. Genie was taken into protective care and her parents were arrested. Your email address will not be published. "It was a cage for the child. The atrophy in her leg muscles had dissipated as she began learning to run and jump. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? Follow I Can't Believe It's NonFiction on WordPress.com. "His word was law. As such, Wiley could construct simple phrases to convey what she wanted or was thinking, like applesauce buy store, but the nuances of a more sophisticated sentence structure were out of her grasp. This theory can be supported to a degree, but experts could not prove universal grammar or innate language acquisition through experiments with children. At 14, she had the physical development of a 7-year-old. All rights reserved Bugged Space 2019-2022, Genie Was Physically and Emotionally Abused, Clark and Irenes Daughter Was Killed By Neglect, 14-Year-Old Mary Crocker was Kept In Dog Pen, Beaten, Starved to Death by Her Family, Later Found Buried In Family Backyard, Tanzanian Miner Who Became Overnight Millionaire Finds Another Rare Stone Worth $2 Million. I feel at times God failed me. Clark Wiley (center left) and John Wiley (center right) after the abuse scandal broke open. The suit was settled in 1984, and Susan Curtiss, perhaps the most innocent caregiver of them all, was banned from seeing Genie. As for Genies parents, they were set to stand trial for child abuse shortly after Genie entered the childrens hospital. The social worker assumed that Genie was about 6 years old and noted that she seemed to display some autistic qualities. Not long after, scientists, linguists, doctors and experts from around the country were vying for access to her. She can speak only a few words, but she has remembered the sign language that she was taught during the brief, federally funded research project that was eventually deemed a scientific failure. Genies father was dead, but living with her mother was not the happy ending that anyone would have hoped for. Their first baby died after being left in a cold garage and the second from birth complications. She had a growing list of words under her belt and could communicate through basic sign language. There was no TV, no radio ever permitted in the house, and Irene and John suffered beatings if Clark felt they were being too loud. I have forgiven, but I cant forget,he said. "I had to learn about life when I got on my own, away from my family," he said. Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Her insane father had kept her in isolation since she was 20 months old, apparently believing that she was mentally retarded. Her tragic story and her therapy spawned a litany of press coverage, academic articles, books and documentaries. This childhood had a profound effect on Clark, as for the rest of his life hed fixate on the figure of his mother. Genie also went through a string of failed foster homes with families who felt overwhelmed by the task of caring for her. Despite hating kids, her father had four of them with his wife, Dorothy Irene Wiley. Arriving at the Wiley's home, arresting officer Linley said the conditions he found at the house were appalling. Her mother was almost entirely blind by this time . A son, Robert, was born September 15, 1949. Genie cry Not spit. Susan Curtiss toldThe Guardian: Language and thought are distinct from each other. She had been a victim of severe abuse, neglect, and isolation since her birth. She was engulfed in sensory, cognitive and emotional deprivation. Once he had reconciled with her, Clark became obsessed with his mother. As a result, he became fearless and continued abusing his family. 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. This caused a delay in Genie learning to walk. Genies significant progress Father. The movie Mockingbird Dont Sing is based on the Genie Wiley story. When authorities went to Wileys house to look for child abuse, they discovered that Genie was completely neglected. Her father started keeping her in a locked room when she was about 20 months old. Her real name is Susan Wiley. Like so many people with special needs, she fell through the cracks of proper care. Father hit big stick. Genie isnt the Feral Childs real name. "I've been able to block out my past," he said, sipping a brandy and ginger ale in his cramped but neat townhouse. When the researchers did try to reach out or find Genie, they were often disappointed to hear that she was not making the progress that she had been making as a teenager.
