A background check played a pivotal role in delivering Jaycee Lee Dugard from the clutches of her kidnapper Phillip Garrido.
For those not in the know, Jaycee Lee Dugard was kidnapped at the age of 11 and was presumed dead after having been missing for 18 years. But, thanks to the work of a questioning police officer and a subsequent background check run on Mr. Garrido, the way was paved for Jaycee Dugard to finally escape a long ordeal.
Officer Ally Jacobs met with Mr. Garrido at the request of University of California Berkeley officials following a request by the latter to distribute religious leaflets on the campus on the grounds of “discussing the Lords work.”
During the meeting, Officer Jacobs’ suspicions were aroused by the behavior of not only Phillip Garrido but also that of his two daughters aged 11 and 15 respectively. Suspicious bruises, zombie-like social interaction and blatantly rehearsed answers to questioning were enough to set off red flags for Jacobs.
Even though there wasn’t enough evidence to have the children taken into protective custody, there was enough cause for a background check with Phillip Garrido’s parole officer. The results? It turned out that the convicted rapist never had any daughters in the first place!
Garridos arrest followed a meeting with his parole officer in which Jaycee Dugard was also in attendance. The now young woman revealed she was indeed the 11 year old girl who had disappeared 18 years prior and was presumed dead.
Once again, a simple background check functions as a powerful tool to pull back the camouflage netting of deceit. Had it not been performed by Officer Ally Jacobs, there’s a very strong likelihood Jaycee Dugard would have remained in the paws of Phillip Garrido. Fortunately, that’s not the case and a long, painful ordeal has drawn to a close thanks in part to a police officer that took a closer look where it was certainly deserved.
