Genie (feral Child) - Early History

Early History

Genie was the fourth and last child of parents living in Arcadia, California. Her father worked in a factory as a flight mechanic during World War II and got a job in the aviation industry after the war ended; her mother had come to California as a teenager with family friends fleeing the Dust Bowl. Neither one of them had any meaningful level of education. Her mother's family and friends opposed the marriage because her father was twenty years older than his bride. The couple seemed happy to some who knew them, but others saw Genie's father as something of a distant loner. Her mother began suffering beatings at his hands, and over time the beatings became more and more frequent. Genie's mother already had vision problems, caused by neurological damage stemming from a childhood accident. After she married, her eyesight became progressively worse, due to the pre-existing neurological damage, severe cataracts and a detached retina. Ever-diminishing vision forced her to become increasingly dependent on her husband.

From the outset of their relationship, Genie's father was adamant about not wanting children. Still, after about five years of marriage her mother became pregnant. Genie's father continued to beat her, right through her pregnancy. She was already in the hospital recovering from an especially severe beating when she went into labor, but gave birth to a daughter who appeared to be healthy. Disturbed by the girl's crying, her father placed the infant in the garage; at 10 weeks old, she died of pneumonia. A second child, a boy diagnosed with Rh incompatibility, died at two days of age, allegedly from choking on his own mucus. Another son was born three years later, once again with Rh incompatibility. He was slow to develop, and late to walk and to talk. When he was four, his paternal grandmother grew concerned about her son's increasing instability and took over her grandson's care; he made good progress with her before eventually being returned to his parents. Around the time Genie was born, her father began to isolate himself and his family from those around them.

At birth, Genie too showed signs of Rh incompatibility, and required blood transfusion the day after she was born. Otherwise, she was born at a healthy weight and size. A medical appointment at three months showed that she was gaining weight normally, but doctors discovered she had a congenital hip dislocation which required use of a highly restrictive Frejka splint for seven months. Due to the splint Genie was late to start walking, which researchers believed caused Genie's father to speculate she may have been mentally retarded. At subsequent appointments, up until the age of 11 months, records noted that she was alert and sitting up alone, but falling behind in weight gain; at birth she had been in the 50th percentile for weight, but at age 11 months, she was down to the 11th percentile. Genie's mother later recalled that she was not a cuddly baby and resisted eating solid food, though by 6 months old she was reported to be, "taking food well". When Genie was 14 months old, she came down with a fever and was examined by a pediatrician; he said that although he could not make any definitive diagnosis due to her illness, there was a possibility she might be mentally retarded. He also suggested that the brain dysfunction kernicterus might be present; Rh incompatibility is a significant risk factor for kernicterus, and severe cases can lead to brain damage which, in turn, causes retardation. Her father took the pediatrician's opinion to mean that Genie was severely retarded, using it as justification for isolating and abusing her.

When Genie was 20 months old, her paternal grandmother was killed by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run traffic accident. As a child, Genie's father had not been very close to his mother, having only had limited contact with her while mostly growing up in various orphanages. During most of his adult life, they had constantly argued about her unsuccessful efforts to convince him to adopt a less rigid lifestyle; however, according to Genie's mother and brother, during his marriage her father was almost singularly fixated on his mother and devoted almost all his love and attention to her, treating his marriage as ancillary, at best. He already had difficulty controlling his anger, and his mother's death had deeply affected him; when the truck's driver subsequently received only a probationary sentence for both manslaughter and drunk driving, he became nearly delusional with rage. After the sentencing, her father quit his job and further increased the family's isolation. They moved into the two-bedroom house his mother had lived in, and left her bedroom untouched as a shrine to her. Genie was increasingly confined to the second bedroom, while the rest of the family slept in the living room.