When I was 17 I was locked away in a room and completely ignored by my family as a punishment for having written in my diary that I had feelings for someone. It lasted a whole summer. I had absolutely no contact with anyone, no phone, no TV, no books, nothing. I was also threatened by my father that if he saw me he would kill me. That traumatized me for life and I now suffer from BPD, depression, panic disorder, anxiety and psychosis. It really really messed me up. So much so, that that period was deleted from my memory. I can only recall the day I was locked away in the room and when I asked to be released and asked to be able to go back to school through a letter because I was afraid of them. Verbal and physical abuse followed when I finally started being with the family. But that's a wound that I can never forgeet or forgive my "family". That level of cruelty is unmatched, just talking about it now makes me feel so much rage inside. I can only imagine what Genie must have went through.
Markus, I want to thank you for sharing what you went through! I am so so sorry you had to endure that kind of treatment and pain. My heart is hurting for you. Nobody should have to go through what you went through. I know you said thinking about it makes you angry - I’m angry for you too. 💔
You're very brave, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are still here, and people who do bad, bad comes to them right back. You deserved more and you are worth more than the people who treated you like this. Hope you are doing well and getting the help that you need and love you deserve :)
I'm so sorry that happened to you!!! How cruel!! I have had a rough life too with many different people abusing me in varied ways. I am finally adjusting in my senior years.
Yes. It really does. It makes me think of Gabriel Fernandez too. These are only the kids who are discovered by authorities. It breaks my heart to think there are probably hundreds or thousands more that we will never know about.
Every house I drive past, I wonder if there's someone locked up in there. It's a messed up thought, but I feel bad thinking someone could be so close to getting help, but no one knows.
@@chinchilling92 Yea...I had to take breaks. But I watched it because it explains to me what I recently referred to my therapist as 'what ever my disability is' ... I feel some healing and relief after 71 years.. .. but in that.... I sobbed uncontrollably for 'us- Who are beautiful souls living in such a dark world ... Telepathy between those who can hear Is a faster and more liable communication Human spiritual evolution has been systematically truncated in human beings... Words are so limited Unless you're some kind of poet But we're trapped here having to speak... And honesty is 'regulated'
there are horror stories coming out all the time, even in this day and age. In Ireland, a story about a three generation family where they all committed sexual abuse against each other and members of their extended family. Animals
It’s astounding that Jeanie’s linguistic therapist was denied fostering yet Jeanie was placed in a militaristic home then back to her mom! Continuing cases of inept children services departments.
WILD 4 REAL DAT SUSAN" BEST INTEREST WERENT BEING CARRY OUT , TO THE FULLEST OF HER CAPABILITIES. KNOWN IT 4 YRS & THE FEELINGS ARE STILL HEARTBREAKING BLESS DAY TO YOU🌻
I am a foster carer. My first placement was a little boy rescued under similar circumstances to these circumstances. His walk and the way he held his hands we very much the same. Fortunately for him his was placed with us where he got the emotional and mental stimulus needed. He will always need life long care but his speach and understanding are amazing and everyone who meets him are captivated by his unplifting personality. He was adopted 7 years ago and continues to thrive.
Her mother ruined her opportunity with the specialists for anything remotely close to a normal life. If you ask me, mom is just as guilty as dad! Moms motive for the lawsuit was pure greed....and child services should have NEVER allowed her to go back to mom!
The mother should have left and begged for help the first day that poor child was abused like that. She was just as guilty as the father. I understand she was abused too but how can you let your own child go through that?
This is a horrible look into the careless way our society looked after this child. The funding should NEVER have stopped. NEVER. She should have been cared for like a princess. The fact that they didn’t take care of her brother either just shows how coldhearted our so-called professionals are too.
Genie's story makes me sad. She was intelligent, she had the potential, and she was neglected not only by her family but by the government, the world. I'm so sorry life was so cruel to you, Genie.
Government is us- we do not care for children the way they need to be. We do not storm our streets and demand those who created these situations by being inept in their jobs lose them.
I agree with you, but given the woman's limitations, it's likely a lawyer sought her out and convinced her to sue, because it would be lucrative for them. Lawyers get a huge chunk of the payoff and they do seek out cases they hear about
two of her kids just died, one lived with his grandmother for years then was severely abused, her daughter was locked up for 13 years and she only left to go collect a fucking check? i only needed to hear the start of it
I worked in the late 80s with developmentally disabled adults. One particular man I worked with was socially isolated. At the age of 26 he looked like a 10 year old. Non verbal. He was born disabled and then isolated. He was my favorite client to work with. I just fell in love as I was a mother to a boy already. My son was an infant at the time. They were almost the same level of cognitive thinking. It was an honor to work with him. I'll always carry him in my heart. Marcos. ❤
it is so disgusting that the child would be returned to either parent who had allowed such severe abuse, but especially so because funding ran out. And then to put her into a regular, not medical, foster home when so many qualified medical people were willing - just sad and pathetic the system abused her again
It's absolutely criminal that Jean butler was denied adoption of Genie. Yes, the team that was caring for her and studying her had a conflict of interests and didn't seem to know where to draw the line, which is shocking that anyone would even consider putting experimentation ahead of nurture. But Genie was thriving for the first and only time under those conditions. Nobody else that took her after that had the education or experience to have a clue what to do with her, so she was neglected and abused again. And Genie can't possibly have understood why she was suddenly abandoned by the only people that had truly taken care of her. This is such a sad, sad story.
@Tinahochstetler2189 I thought about the same thing. Even after she was institutionalized Jean Butler still went to go see her twice. I bet it broke her heart to see Genie had reverted back into herself & wouldn't come back. The whole story from beginning to the end. Finding out that she was just thrown into an institution, where she most likely has died since then. Such a tragic life, You know there still are children being put threw the same type of abuse out in our world. Its sad to think that the criminal treatment by these children's abusers will only be punished after they die & must answer for their cruel deeds.
I was thinking the same. Ms. Butler seemed to really care about Genie. Combining that love and care with her professional abilities would have been really good for Genie.
the “genie happy” made me tear up. i’m so sad that her mother took her back… this poor soul. my heart is broken for her. i wonder if she is still out there and is doing okay.
It blows my mind they let her neglectful mother take her back. When she was 50% of the child's abuse and neglect. I'm a man but I'm trying to think as a woman of that era. I know the mother was also abused by him but if I couldn't have saved my first child from him he'd surely die from food poisoning and he'd be having no more children.
What happened after she was taken away from the scientist and her mother sued was horrible, Truly a cruel and unfair life, she didn't deserve any of that.
I agree. Normally I wouldn't think being a science study would be good for someone, but in Gennies case It seems to me she would have been way better off if she were studied the rest of her life. She had been thriving with them.
@@emilyberry1985 Yeah ... until the funding ran out. And then they dumped her right back where she was before they took her. Did her mother have any way to financialy support Genie? I doesn't sound like she did.
When we meet some stranger in public who seems to act weird or “stupid”, we should never forget what that person might have gone through and suffered in their childhood. RIP John Wiley. And wherever you are Genie, I hope you’re doing okay and have forgiven humans and how they treated you. ❤
This is true. I never pass judgment on someone who acts strangely or weird. Like the gas station clerk I see occasionally in the mornings. He says sorry constantly, even if there’s no need to say it. I’m just like “ it’s alright man, no worries, you’re all good bro 🤝”. But yea he says sorry ALL THE TIME.
Oh and he stutters a lot. I feel sympathy for him. I always treat him with respect and try to boost his confidence. He’s a good dude, just kinda different
@@justsomecoolprayingmantisd6422 My dad did that too..😢😢😢he also would not touch anyone else's stuff ..even while staying with me, he wouldn't make food, touch any of my stiff and would ALWAYS say he wanted to stay out of my way and apologized FOR EVERYTHING! I LOVED HIM SOOOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH 😢😢😢HE RECENTLY DIED. 😢😢😢😢
After watching this I just want to send loving thanks to my parents who raised me with so much love, generosity and kindness. They gave me a sense of ethics, knowing right from wrong as a guiding force. I just wish every child had that in their life ~
it blows my mind how kids are just BORN into these evil situations beyond their control while others are born into loving homes with 2 loving parents. i don't understand how there can be such a disparity for humanity like this.
I actually told my parents I'm grateful for the physical discipline I had received too when I was younger I would definitely be dead or in jail if I wasn't taught that way I myself believe
I’m 64, and still struggle with disorders from childhood trauma… and it was no where near what this poor soul went through. (First time watcher, nice work.)
I'd want to hug and hug and hug and hold this poor little girl and not let go. This story hurts so much. Our precious children in the World need so much 💕
Learned new details I didn’t know about. So sad that she was doing so well only to be left behind after being exploited and abused. Such a sad story. I hope she has found joy somehow.
She should have been in a permanent home as soon as she was taken from her parents. It's crazy that she was returned to live with her mother. One of her team should have taken her in permanently with her mother allowed to visit after getting therapy and instruction.
@@boomeradley8748 Agree. I wonder what really went on in denying Jean Butler the opportunity to do that. In retrospect I'm sure they all wish it had happened.
Yes , I knew of this story. As a psych major and someone who has also experienced short term periods of isolation i am profoundly moved by this case and wish so much that this beautiful individual could have been saved. It makes me feel that we must, as a society, rise to the occasion and recognize that while this case is extreme, there are people everywhere, all around you, who are hurting and suffering and need to be recused, even when you don’t see it . If I don’t do anything, if you don’t do anything, if the system doesn’t do anything… who will? It’s up to us-all of us-to stop abuse, to intervene, to create neighborhoods, cities, and a world that will never tolerate the neglect ,never turn a blind eye, or assume “it’s up to someone else”. It’s up to all of us. There’s a quote that says, if you want to change the world go home and love your family, and so often I hear from psychologists that the number one problem in this world is POOR PARENTING, and boy does this case exemplify that.
Odd they’d say the issue is parenting, parenting is a term that’s poorly defined and highly subjective, psychologists speak in terms of attachment… I don’t know if you have paraphrased poorly but as a psych, I can’t really believe they said “parenting” or that they failed to discuss intergenerational trauma, epigenetics or stress diathesis thresholds
As a fellow psych major, I totally agree with your comment. Child abuse and neglect is so very common and it absolutely is the leading cause of most societal issues we see. Homelessness, addiction, suicide, incarceration, violence and crime.. all can be easily traced to childhood trauma (in almost all cases). If we can improve in this area, I expect we would see much improvement in these areas. I just started a job in human services, sort of a social work adjacent role, and I’m so happy to have a chance to make a difference in my community and use my degree to do some good! You have a big heart, keep going and don’t give up
@@TheBreechieit’s odd to me that you chose to try to correct someone’s word choice so fervently instead of adding any meaningful input to the topic at hand. Yes all of those things are discussed in classes at times but we also use regular English words and phrases. Also, psychologists use the word “parenting” and would absolutely give that sort of advice, because it’s true! To me it seems that you’re desperate to sound smart and have a need to correct others- even when you’re wrong. You obviously understood the comment’s meaning so why be this way? Maybe reflect on that a little, just my two cents
@@tianna1116 something meaningful would be the statistics and research. While amazingly harmful with measurable outcomes, the majority who do experience abuse don’t have ongoing issues or ring any psychometric bells. It’s just basic low level differentiation in assessment to consider this, it’s concerning when the fundamentals are missing thus my comment… If you want a transformative conversation supervision is a wise option, otherwise the facts remain, around 30% of people who experience abuse or life threatening experiences during their development will have skewed development, the same types of numbers we see with PTSD also. Why less than half? We clearly aren’t speaking of chance with that statistic but we also can not deny its absolute impacts given we see a stat showing glaring frequency… But you do have to understand, appreciate and acknowledge those numbers, what they mean in terms of aetiology and treatment… Look, I’m pretty old now, I’m no longer a “psych major”, I’m a psychologist with more than 20 years experience… Yes the word parenting is used but that’s not how it’s spoken of in psychology world. If I’m honest, I hear this largely from support workers, social workers and human services folk… Parenting is far too global a statement and psychology is incredibly precise, “parenting” isn’t a theory, it’s not found in any books…. Baumrinds’s parenting styles may be spoken of but never separate to attachment, polyvagal theory is becoming very common too but everything will be empirically based and that is a disproven notion… Parenting is not a defined term, there is no link between parenting and psychometric outcomes… I had the same arguments as you at your level of professional development, but with training, and time nuance begins to reveal itself. Things aren’t as easy to label with the stroke of a brush… All too often I’ve seen therapists rush to assume trauma because there was abuse in the FOI, only for clients to learn much later, after expensive and unhelpful therapy, that they had ASD and this was the origin of their anxiety, I saw a women with full on thyroid induces psychosis causing issues but no one tested her because she had a terrible history, and I know if a case where a teens sudden very severe self harming was labeled trauma induced because his childhood was awful when in fact, they’d been clipped by a bus 12 weeks prior and had an undiagnosed ABI…. Are you stopping to consider this when you race to say parenting is the issue? What we saw looked like trauma responses, their foi and history exposed extreme abuse and yet none suffered with any problems related to trauma itself. That’s why there are psych majors and psychologists. They are worlds apart and that is ok - they’re not the same field… People have different needs and a spectrum of supports along the way, this is why each profession has a different lens and framework however similar… I felt very much like yourself at the start of my career, in fact I opted not to immediately become a psych after my education and worked in areas like yourself for many years… It felt kinder, the pay offs were much more visible and the effect had was noticeable in the improvement in their life…. We should always work to our strengths in ways that make the most meaningful change - I’ve done my time of unconditional positive regard, I’m now working in an area where things aren’t so kindly and to bring positive change I do have to consider some ugly facts…. Enjoy that you can work from a gentle place to change lives - I can’t speak highly enough of your work or how important it is to people who are experiencing trauma and need support…. I’m no longer working in that place…. I’ve got be unemotionally honest and cleve to empiricism, not what feels good or even feels right, to save my clients lives….
I'm beyond disgusted that her "mom" got a settlement from the courts and instead of hiring help so that 'Genie' could enjoy a life with money, she just dumps her off into the system. I'm sick to my stomach over that.
I had heard about Genie. I had wondered what happened to her. I grew up in an abusive family as well. There were 5 children and my 2 parents. My father, luckily, was a truck driver, so most of the time he was gone. When he was we didn't get abused nearly as bad. Unfortunately, my mother had married my father very young and she was abused by him very badly. He eventually moved our family completely away from our extended families. He isolated us into a desert community in Colorado. He continued abusing my mother and all of us children. Like Genie all of us kept in our feelings and began to tear at out bodies. We would scratch and tear at anything on our bodies, pimples, scrapes from falling or whatever. I am 59 now, and I have many scars. It was not until the last year of my life that I have not had several open wounds (self-inflicted) at any one time. Today, I do not have anything. But I had been on so many medications for so many issues from depression, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, lupus, restless limbs syndrome, anxiety, pain issues from arthritis, and seizure activity. I was taking over 18 prescription pills a day last year in July. I was hospitalized at a different place than before all new doctors, they took me off everything. I wasn't happy about it but I had no one not even myself to advocate because I couldn't talk at admission. After 2 days, I was able to talk, I began insisting on at least my seizure medication. I didn't get it until the night before I checked myself out. Even though my regular doctors wanted me back on all my medications I refused. I decided that I wanted to clean my system completely out for two months minimum. It ended up being the best decision I ever made. I am now only taking my seizure meds 1 pill twice daily, with only an occasional muscle relaxer because of severe arthritis. I no longer have any of the other issues that plagued me for decades and my skin stays healed. I do occasionally get a bug bit but it heals rather quick.
I think you’re right with your thoughts at the end of the video. Genie needed a state appointed guardian or something like that as a buffer between her and the research team. I hope wherever she is now, she is safe and doing well. I believe her Mother should have faced criminal charges to be completely honest with you. I have heard of this case before but this is the most in-depth coverage I’ve seen. Good work on your video! ❤
I agree. It seems to me that in their quest for information the researchers were guilty of abuse as well. as is the case with so many abuse survivors, the state failed Genie.
Yes, a guardian ad litem shldve been appointed (a legal representative w/ no skin in the game, as they say). Someone to advocate for Genie’s well-being & ONLY her well-being. In today’s day & age this likely wldnt have happened to Genie.
Every video I've watched about Genie starts with her care after she was 'rescued.' This is the first time I'm learning that her mother walked into the wrong office.
As a psychologist and pedagogue (Childcare specialist) I'm sorry to say that it happens much more than most people think. As I use to say: we often hear about the dangerous stranger - but the vast majority of neglect, abuse and violence against children happens in their "home" - and the perpetrators are the parents. For a period of 10 years I worked in a psychiatric supermax for the criminally insane - and when studying their casefiles I noticed the same pattern: a childhood & adolescense full of violence, abuse and neglect. Trust me when I say that most of us wouldn't have survived the childhood Charlie Manson went through. Not excusing him - but most of the people we call monsters were not born like that - they were created. Even a not so debilitating personality disorder like schizoid are mostly a result of emotionally cold parents.
This story is one of the saddest I have ever heard. That poor, poor girl - no person ESPECIALLY a child should ever go through this 😢 I hope wherever she is Genie is ok 😪
I was 14 years old. When I was taken. His name was Shockley. I was made to stay locked in a closet. Beaten and locked in a house. He had me for about five years. My Mother never reported me missing. She had seven children and I guess she did not care. One less mouth to feed. LONG STORY!! These kinds of things happen a lot. He changed my name and age. You never get over this. Even though I am 72 years old now. I still have nightmares. It is my opinion that most people and family don't want to hear this kind of thing. You just suffer inside.
That is SO TRUE! When you’ve suffered abuse, you find that people don’t believe you; don’t CARE to believe you; think you must be lying; or think it’s rude of you to make someone else (your abuser) look like a bad guy. Somehow, unless it’s VERY extreme, like this posted story, the one who’s abused, isn’t ever truly believed; and if the abuser is religious, HE comes out looking innocent, and the one who is abused comes across as they must have done something to deserve it. This world is so messed up. I’m just thankful that Jesus saw it all, and promises to take revenge someday for those of us who can’t. 💟✝️💟
Thank you for sharing, and I'm so sorry you were subjected to such trama and cruelty, and I pray that it made you strong and resilient beyond measure! Much love and prayers for peace in your life, and after ❤
My heart goes out to you dear one. I hope the rest of your life was filled with good times and joy where you could find it. People suffer greatly and we never know. There has to be some cosmic justice for this evil.
“ The scientists thought, this could help deprived children in the future “ hearing that statement made an already very sad story even sadder to me. This is probably the third documentary I’ve watched about Jeanie and it never gets easier. Thank you for keeping this story alive by telling it, you did a fantastic job and can’t wait to see more of your work!
I attended junior high school with the brother, John. He displayed humor and seemed fairly normal. He had stunted height and his legs were bowed, causing him to walk like he just got off a horse after a long ride. I lived about 10 blocks from John and his parents home and remember the numerous TV news crews parked across the street on Golden West Ave to capture a glimpse of movement. I was saddened to hear of John's passing and wondered how his life had turned out. I always wondered how John dealt with such a sad situation and if he stayed intouch with his mother.
This case & The case of Blanche, a French girl who was locked in her mom's attic by her mom, for 15+yrs~ Both their stories engrained themselves into my mind. The thought of how that level of neglect, tension, void, filth, abuse, mental atrophy, etc. How it Would have greatly impacted those poor individuals.. it's hard not to wonder about how many unknown stories there are that we just don't know about..? Makes me want to stay vigilant and compassionate.
@@greenbanana1001 that is one of the worst cases of kidnapping, Incest, being captive in a bunker, SA, and having to birth children from her sick dad.. I don't understand how the mom could just accept that random children were showing up at their house... And that nothing shady was going on in the basement all those years... It's disgusting.. those cases of people who are held captive are the absolute worst! They pull on my heart strings more than anything.
Poor Genie. Her story made me sad and so mad it is indescribable! The worse part is that she made it to a safe place where she could run,see, explore and communicate. Oooops! Money is gone. Go back home or wherever. This might have been the cruelest part of all of her existence. You don't miss or want what you don't know. To be given a taste of "normal" and then have it literally ripped out from under her is unbelievably heartless and so cruel.😢
You can’t tell me this dad wasn’t a psychopath. This isn’t just ‘wanting quiet’ and this is after knowing that you’ve killed two of your other children already, and harmed your other child. But still, you do even worse unimaginable treatment? He was definitely doing anything he could think of to torture her. He knew what he was doing. And there’s no way this mom should have been let off the hook. And oh my gosh, unbelievable that they allowed her to be put back into the mothers care. Really poor John too if he was a minor, I wasn’t clear on that. But that mother should be full of shame. Suing them for taking care of her daughter and trying to help her, then sending her to unhelpful foster homes? Why couldn’t welfare step in when she couldn’t handle her and put her back with the people who were helping her? Probably because of the stupid lawsuit.
Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens to a lot of children who are rescued from abusive parents. They're often dumped into our flawed foster care system and experience even more mistreatment. That happened with some of the Turpin children after they were freed from their parents. I know a couple of the sisters have given interviews about what they're doing now and what happened to them after they were taken from their parents. It's heartbreaking that our system keeps failing the most vulnerable people who need the most empathy and care.
@@whatever7959 100%. my mom and 3 of her brothers were placed in foster care as kids. all 4 of them were SA'd by their foster carers (in different homes)
@@LB-ou8wt I roomed with a girl in college, that had been in foster homes in 3 different states. The abuse she suffered in her legal home was horrific, but it almost paled in comparison to what she endured in foster homes & 1 boot camp in Tennessee. the boot camp (for troubled teens & foster kids with no placement) was shut down for child neglect, malnourishment, $ embezzlement, etc...She told me the very first day I moved in to room with her, "I don't want to see no Nilla Wafers or apples in this room. If I ever catch you bringing in Nilla wagers or apples, I Will Cut YOU. I don't play." I finally found out that they survived on only nilla wafers & apples in this boot camp. Her biological mom had been turned over to the know neighborhood pedo, when HER mother died young of cancer. My roommate's mom was impregnated in her teens by this man that was her adoptive 'father'. She had 4 kids and she became a drug addict. Almost all the other foster homes abused this poor girl. She was also separated from her 3 brothers. She was so damaged, it broke my heart. She didn't trust anyone & therefore you could NEVER trust her. I slept with one eye open because she was always threatening to 'cut me'. I often wonder what ever happened to her & I pray for her often.
I saw her story on tv. TLC documentary in 2003. I was highly disturbed after seeing the whole story. I always prayed for this precious girl. We are near same age. Thanks for covering this story.
This is similar to how my step-dad abused me but on a much greater and tragic scale than my own abuse. As punishment for just about anything, my step-dad would put me in my room and deprive me of all toys and comforts. Nothing but a bed, a desk and a dresser. I was between the ages of 7 and 10. Sometimes I would be in that room for weeks at a time. Only being allowed out for meals or to use the bathroom. I also wasn't allowed to speak to my mother without his permission. He did this to me because of the behaviors associated with my undiagnosed autism and ADHD. He thought he discipline them out of me, not realizing that he was actually further stunting my already slow social development. It really fvcked me up and I only feel like I've made actual progress in my life only now that I'm reaching my 30's and have access to mental health support. So yeah dont isolate your kids as punishment. Even doing it for more than a few hours at a time can mess them up.
I believe only a few hours makes a difference. A few (very few) times I was so angry at my teen I refused to talk to him. That was the ONLY thing deprived and in 15 minutes he seemed so sad I didn't have the heart to keep it up.
Those doctors who used Genie and dropped her as soon as the money stopped are disgusting people. She was improving so much and to be sent back to the mother who allowed the abuse of her and then dumped her when she couldn’t be bothered is so sad. She was abused most of her life. I hope she found some happiness and peace in the places she lived and she has some contentment in her life now.
They weren’t being paid personally, it was grant money used for research which is how they could afford to care for her and simultaneously learn from her and document her progress. When the funding for research runs out, that research must stop. It’s not the fault of the specialists. 100% of the blame goes to her parents for putting her in the situation to begin with. I’d be willing to bet those researchers (particularly the one who visited with her and checked in on her once she returned to her mom) were devastated at the way things turned out.
@@aimeedouglas1584 but when the research stops money stops being involved, they aren't getting paid to be in her life anymore. that doesn't mean they couldn't have done more to support her as a human being later in life, they just treated her like a test subject and benefitted financially, academically and professionally from working with Genie
I remember reading about her and talking to other students of psychology. I was appalled the researchers were given this poor girl to experiment with treatments. A long term plan that included true planning was sorely lacking. I always wondered what happened to this girl. She was abused again and again. She needed an advocate and never received one. Tragic.
Not the researchers fault. The reality is they were the only people who had given her the opportunity to grow to into a civilised woman. Unfortunately they cannot pull money from the sky nor can they prevent a mother from claiming her child without any concrete evidence of her abusing the child. Both her families are to blame
@@jayp4033 okay, can you give me a brief summary then pls? I get she was mainly used as an experiment, but at least from what I saw here that they were still trying to help her become a more functional human regardless of what their intentions were behind it. Is that fair to say or were they lying about something ?
I had heard about Genie. I studied Linguistics in post-secondary, and we talked about her linguistic development in class, though many of the details were left out. I've always wondered about the rest of her story. Thank you for sharing this. I hope that wherever Genie is, she is safe and well.
You can come from abuse and not become an abuser. No excuses. Her mother could have gotten help and is also responsible. What's sad is even after being removed the people around her used her.
@@xoangelicaf0523 that is projection - go read the wiki on this, there is a lot of info about her childhood there. Not making excuses, just adding historical context. There was little understanding back then of the impact of generational trauma, plus poverty, absolute dependance, and don't get me started on the 'scientific community' vs social services.
The only way an abused child grows up without abusing others is if they get the help they need. Without help, they will grow up to be abusers themselves because they know nothing else.
My heart breaks for Genie. I think she understood more words than indicated and was a master of non-verbal communication. Although more important than science, is Jeannie's well being. She must have felt utterly betrayed by the language team when the study was over. Shocking & tragic that researchers cared more about being professional than protecting her legally from the control of her mentally ill mother, who could barely take care of herself. It seemed selfish of certain team members who stood in the way of Jean Butler adopting Genie.
I agree. She was a human. Funding should not have been allowed to "drop." Care was needed for years to get her to a place where she might be able to function on her own.
Please be aware if you come across an infant who doesn’t ever cry or move it can be an indication of neglect. Infants have survival instincts to cry in order to get their needs met; hungry needing to feed, needing cleaned up, needing love by being held etc. Once their constant cries go unmet they eventually become silent due to no response to their cries. Thus they’ve become used to zero response and unnurtured falling silent. Ps-it’s common but other reasons can be at play as well.
That’s NOT always the case . My sister had a genetic disorder but appeared as a normal baby for about two years and one of the characteristics was that she didn’t cry. My mom would set an alarm and get up every 4 hours to feed her and luckily she was the youngest of 9 kids so my mom knew what she needed. The doctors says he wouldn’t live 6 months but she lived for 19 years. I only heard her cry twice in her life when she was very ill. Don’t assume.
@@maryboehmer2284 I’m sorry for how my response read. I fixed it and thank you for correcting me. Education is powerful and now you’ve just taught a ton of people including myself as well. Sorry for the very incorrect comment. I hope it reads better now.
@@KATMOMSEVEN I’m sorry for how my response read. I fixed it and thank you for correcting me. Education is powerful and now you’ve just taught a ton of people including myself as well. Sorry for the very incorrect comment. I hope it reads better now.
When they talked about her laugh 😭💓 this case, Genie's trauma is just beyond anything I have ever heard of. Just terrible, more than terrible...there are no words.
This video is the most comprehensive and informative of all videos I have seen previously regarding Jeanie. I appreciate the depth and factual research integrated in this video. I equally respect that the video was not dramatized, but simply fact driven, and tells the full truth and history of Jeanie and her story. Thank you.
Fascinating and devastating at the same time. I don't understand why she was returned to her family after showing such positive progress with her team. Seems to me that it was downright cruel to put her back where she had endured so many years of torture. Surely something better could have been worked out. Sadly it's too late now. I hope Genie has been able to find some sort of peace in her life if not happiness.
Absolutely heartbreaking.And shame on the mother for taking back her daughter after mother for taking her daughter away from specialists who actually helped her so much and cared for her wellbeing.Sorry,but as a mother of three,like the majority of mothers,we put our children first.The mother has years to ask for help,even gone to the neighbors or anything,blind or not…there is absolutely no excuse!. Thank you for sharing this tragic story,I never heard of it.
You say ' shame on her mother' but I got from this, that the mother was also abused, mentally disabled, and incompetent and incapable of saving her children.
I’ve never heard this story. Devastating and unfair as descriptions don’t even touch this story. This poor woman. Praying for anyone who has endured any level of abuse. Really puts life into perspective. Thank you for sharing this.
Once I met the niece of a poor custodian who lived in a small shack at the small private school he worked for, she literally had traumatized seeing unfamiliar faces and you can tell she was abused... could not read, write or speak english and made grunting/barking noises. Some parents are incredibly cruel, many people treat their dogs better.
I can guarantee you that people like that treat their dogs just as bad, but that is a horrible story did you ever find out who that girl was and what happened to her?
Many treat their pets even worse than this. Chained up outside in the snow for their whole lives, etc. Children and animals are both helpless and defenseless in the hands of depraved, cruel and abusive adults. The innocent ones should be rescued and neverto their abusers.🙏🏻
This reminds me of when I started caring for a stray dog. As soon as the woman who lived nearby found out she called the pound. Here was a woman wanting to care for Genie, and the others stopped her. The funding should have been for her lifetime. Someone should have advocated for her
New subscriber here. I'm 65, and can remember when this was in the news. I also read books and watched documentaries about her. You've done a wonderful job❤
She had a second chance at life and happiness, but her birth giver just had to ruin all that, take away the people that cared about her and were helping her thrive. Which ultimately ruined everything. The anger I feel is hard to describe
I worked in human services for over 26 years and I've seen some pretty bad things, but this story is the worst case to come to my knowledge, in terms of psychological cruelty. My childhood was less than ideal but my parents were saints compared to these two.
I know. Even my demoniac mother and narcissistic neglectful father was better than this. This poor girl didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with those two.
I'm just slightly older than "Jeanie" (Susan) and remember when this hit the news back then. I never forgot her. Also, I had never seen or heard anything of the story past her childhood, so thank you for that.
I remember this case so well. I was 11 years old when they discovered Genie and it was all over the news. I remember being horrified at the extreme abuse. I always wondered what happened to her.
Heartbreaking. I have never heard this story and hope that someone with a heart, has connected with her and is demonstrating that kind and caring people do exist
You narrate beautifully and I look forward to more true stories shared honestly by you. I was aware of Genie's story before finding your account and am pleased that you did not embellish or sensationalize it, but chose instead to share it with great respect.
This case breaks my heart. Given the fact that I have a (2 years younger than myself) very mentally disabled sister whom is non verbal, a Type 1 Diabetic, and Epileptic, that I grew up with and have now cared for (for the past 7 years) since our mother passed away, this case REALLY gets me 😡 Her father was horrid. And he obviously had mommy issues considering he blamed his son for her death AND built a shrine for her. There’s, I’m sure, a lot to unpack there. And I think it’s safe to say he killed his first 2 kids. The son that lived probably only did so because the father was afraid if he killed again, he’d be caught red handed. 3 dead kids never looks good, right? And after the mother was brain injured she probably just didn’t have the knowledge or know how to get her remaining children safe. But she did try at the very least. I’m sure she was hoping for a better life for her and her daughter & was probably hoping to get her other son back eventually as well. I’m glad the father shot himself. He was obviously a very sick, angry man! And then the doctors. I’m sure they were trying to help, but let’s be honest, they were trying to climb the Clout Ladder. They didn’t just do it out of the kindness of their hearts or just for the sake of research. They all had their own agenda, I’m sure. And when an adult who had the means, the compassion, the patience, and the will to adopt little Genie, they accused her of “crossing lines” & “getting too involved?” Wow. No. They just didn’t want a parental figure looking out for what was best for Genie. Because then they wouldn’t have the access to her that they wanted! Then she goes to Foster Care and is abused AGAIN?!?! I have SO MANY thoughts about this! It’s just an all around sad situation. Idky they EVER gave her back to her birth mom. You would think that something more fitting could have been done with visitation from her birth mom if they thought their relationship was important for Genie. Now she’s an older lady that everyone just literally forgot about. Their little Guinea Pig was no longer wanted or needed for “Study Purposes” The Mentally Disabled are PEOPLE! I get really sick of them being treated poorly. My sister has no idea what day of the week it is, no semblance of time, or any know how to care for herself whatsoever. But she is treated like the princess that she is. How ANYONE could do the evil things to anyone, let alone their own child is just disgusting. I hope he went to hell. I really do. And I don’t say things like that lightly. I’m sorry if I sound like an evil you know what, I’m not (at least I don’t think so, lol) but stories like this just get my so angry. I was in tears watching this because my heart just hurts for Genie and all the abuse she suffered. I hope she’s doing well now. I wish we really knew 🙁 But thank you for sharing her story. I’m praying for her. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Loved hearing your thoughts, Brenda! I can tell this hits close to home for you. Thank God your sister has you to advocate and care for her. You have a compassionate and tender heart. The world needs more people like you. 💛
Brenda ,you are truly a wonderful person. Especially for caring so lovingly for your princess. If only there were more people in the world like you !!! You will be justly rewarded in heaven and the evil ones will get what they deserve in hell.❤
You don't know how rare you are, Brenda. What a beautiful soul. I agree totally about how, when not of any 'value' to them, those 'doctors' just abandoned Genie to further abuse and she should never have been turned over to the mother. You certainly do NOT sound evil by condemning evil :) and I certainly understand your outrage at others lack of compassion or seeming humanity. Makes you wonder what kind of people actually make those final decisions, about a young girls life. Blessings to you and your sister, lovely lady. 🦋🌻💕🤟
Your sister sounds wonderful and so do you. I hope you also take time out to care for yourself Brenda. Being a carer is so rewarding but it can also be very challenging at times. As a carer myself, people used to say to me "Wow it must be such a burden" and I would always respond by saying "Not a burden, it's a privilege". The only thing I don't agree with in your comment above is that I'm not glad the father shot himself, he locked his daughter up for years but wouldn't allow society to lock him up. Putting him in jail may have forced him to confront the magnitude of what he had done to poor Genie. He took control when he shot himself and consequently refused to accept the consequences of his own actions and that makes me really angry. What choice did Genie ever have, other than to live in pain, fear and seclusion?
I worked at the children’s home in Southern California in 1982 and we received a young girl. I believe she was either six or nine. She also had been kept in one room, her whole life and went to the bathroom in a coffee can. Even though she was normal, she was so delayed from her lack of experience and after six months we never could get her to use the toilet. I hope somehow she found the help she needed. I think of her often.
I know this is probably not likely but is there any chance the place you worked at McClaren Hall? I may have spelled it wrong. I was placed there as a child & it was basically an orphanage for " wards of the state" & abused children. There was a girl there, I think they called her Lola & she couldn't speak, she walked strange & on her toes etc. from being neglected much like this story. I will always wonder what happened to her. It was around the same time, 1982 , McClaren Hall in El Monte, California.
It’s unbelievable that parents, especially the father in this case, would do this to an innocent child. Those parents were really screwed up. The " System" wasn’t much better. The girl needed so much gentle TLC, stability, on a continuing basis. They ended up throwing her away. It’s awful!
I don’t doubt for a second that Pearl (fuck that I’m not calling him Clarke, his deadname is good enough for him) killed not only the first baby, but the second too.
As a child, being sent to my bedroom as a punishment for an hour or two to “think about how I could have handled the situation differently “ drove me nearly insane, I hated that kind of separation. So poor wee Genie, I honestly couldn’t imagine it 😢😢
i would be put in my dads bedroom with nothing i could touch or entertain myself with for hours, i would cry and try to crawl over or under the gate to try to grt to my parents b. i hated the isolation, i have abandonment issues now because of it, ive equated isolation to self punishment or just how inshould naturally be. i cant be around people for very long i get so exhausted. they did other stuff to me but its not important
I had not heard of Genie until today. Thank you for bringing her story to the world. And for those of you who think God failed either of them you're wrong our real life begins when this one ends
I've heard many horrible stories on horror-related channels over the years, but this? This is more horrifying than anything I've ever heard of or seen before. I legitimately hope Genie's living a great life, wherever she is now.
Her saying “Genie Happy” at one point is heartbreaking beyond words. Who made the decision to send her back to her mother? Her mother is just as bad as her father, they both disgust me. This whole story has crushed my soul. I feel so bad for this little girl all the adults in her life failed her.
I was abused as a child and stopped talking for almost 5 years. I felt lost, my feelings were ignored, nothing i said stopped the abuse so I just stopped talking. I can only imagine how she must have felt, what became her family got what they wanted and walked away. The court was wrong and should have gave her to the woman. It's sad because if the court would have that poor baby would have probably finished high school and became a productive member of society. This is so sad...
I went through the same. It is insane to think not talking is normal. It was a self defense for me. Growing up with a severely retarded father can be tragic
Yes, why didn’t a judge award the money from the lawsuit to GENIE to be put toward her continued care. She wasn’t able to sue anyone herself (couldn’t even think of the idea) but it was bc of Genie that her mother was able the wrangle it ! 😡
I am familiar with the case "Genie", it was standard learning material during my degree in Linguists. It always seemed to me that the researchers that got hold of the child merely continued the child abuse for research purposes and self-promotion. Once Genie grew older and locked into herself their interest soon vanished. Tragic case, questioning science and ethics. Thanks for recapping it.
That's not what is presented here. They were making progress with her until her mother asserted her rights and took her away. Then the funding was cut and that was that. They were the only people who ever helped her. You can question their motives it that fulfills an agenda of yours but, as I said, they were the only people who ever helped her and made her happy. She closed off AFTER her mother took her away from them.
Her story is almost like the Turpins, except they were able to learn to talk and function because they at least had each other and the oldest ones weren't isolated their whole lives.
There are so many neglected abused kids out there.Its absolutely horrible.This story is the worst I have heard.Thank you for this video.Very informative .
My heart breaks for Geni... "Geni happy". She had potential. I can kind of forgive her mum during the time her husband was alive but not for what she did after regaining her eyesight. My heartbreaks for John too.
I was locked away in a dark room all day with 2 diaper changes every 24 hrs until I was 18 months old. Only one photo of me from that time exists. I don’t look like a baby. I look like a paranoid 60 year old with the world on my shoulders. Luckily I was saved from that and because I was a baby bounced back fairly well. But during my whole childhood I was suspicious of all adults, and now that I’m in my 60s, part of me still feels like a child who is suspicious of adults.
Oh!.. I'm a 47 year old, suspicious of adults because of childhood abuse, I always feel like a child around adults even when they're younger than me.. damn! You mean this feeling never goes away....
How challenging for you, it bewilderment, the amount of depravity some parents have. Are you stable now, how do you deal with this past? Thank God you were still a young baby, giving you the chance to experience safer adults. Did you go onto have children? I also had an abusuve upbringing, but in a different way from this. 🙌🌺
You are clearly an extraordinary person! People like you who have overcome significant trauma give me strength. I hope things are going well for you. God bless, and thank you for sharing your experience with the world.
This is truly one of the most tragic stories of ongoing abuse. I have known about Genie’s story for over 30 years. You presented her story very well, I only wish that there had been a better outcome for Genie, other than becoming an experiment that was later pushed away and forgotten by most. I also find it hard to believe there was a time that her brother received no help. I’m sad, but glad to come across this story again. I hope no matter where she is now, she is happy.
Although I heard about this case previously I like your account of the story. Thank you for a calm & soothing delivery of all the cases you’re covering.
I just wanted to comment on the cut off age for language. My Son is on the autism spectrum. He was non-verbal till he was 6. Many therapists and doctors warned me that if he didn't talk by the age of 5 he would never speak. Well he did, and it took him till he was almost 7. Now he still gets speech therapy but talks and is well understood by most people. Everyone does these types of things at their own pace. It is so terrible what was done to this precious child. How a parent does that to their child I will never understand. Two of my three children are on the autism spectrum, so I have NO compassion for these parents. Have a special needs child (if indeed she did have mental challenges or not) does not give you the right to treat them any differently than a normal child. How dare they!
As a mother of five (and most likely pregnant with the 6th) that feels truly blessed for every one of my beautiful children... this story hurts my heart on a deep level. I CANNOT fathom treating a child so poorly. I have to take a break from this and come back later. I'm sobbing. Poor lovely Genie ❤❤❤
Agreed - I can't imagine not completely loving your children. My daughter and husband are my whole world. That man was an absolute monster, I hope he burns in hell
Wow...that IS a LOT to unpack! I was born in 1965 and recall hearing about this girl, but little did I know all that it entailed. I'm mortified and stutteringly speechless. I didn't know, but I do now...and I, too, will have this portion of my brain etched with the memory of this video...this story.
I used to have all the original footage from this case. It still brings tears to my eyes. It never got better for this poor child. She was removed from her parents but placed in foster care where she committed while speaking and recurve a beating for it. At that point she stopped talking at all as she was afraid to open her mouth thinking that she might commit again, bringing another beating.
Utterly fascinating (and heartbreaking) video today. I had never heard of this case before. I hope Genie is doing as well as possible these days. God bless her.
I hope Jeannie has found good health, comfort and love in her life. Truly moving story. Thanks for bringing it to us. My first time to your channel. I look forward to seeing more of your work, both past and future😊
The primary concern and objective for Geenie by her Dr's should have been solely for her care and development of her speech and behaviors and integration into society suitable to Geenie's ability and needs. She was not an experiment for children in the future who were like Geenie nor was it her responsibility to find or be the cute for others. . Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has failed this girl and furthermore, they also failed her brother John may he rest in peace.
The doctors and researchers didn't care about her wellbeing though. They only cared about making money. This hasn't changed. Doctors and other scientists are still only interested in money.
I didn't start speaking until well after 2, my parents were worried I was "slow". Thank goodness I was born in the 90s and given the chance to thrive at my own pace. This story has always wrecked my emotions.. I hope Genie is at peace and is living the best life she can, given the circumstances.
'Genie happy' broke my heart. Probably the first time in her life she ever felt like that .
And the mother’s greedy lawsuit ensured it was probably the last time Genie would feel that happy. Such a sad story.
@@nadiapurser4734 it is absolutely astounding that that woman was given any rights to her 'daughter'.
When I was 17 I was locked away in a room and completely ignored by my family as a punishment for having written in my diary that I had feelings for someone. It lasted a whole summer. I had absolutely no contact with anyone, no phone, no TV, no books, nothing. I was also threatened by my father that if he saw me he would kill me. That traumatized me for life and I now suffer from BPD, depression, panic disorder, anxiety and psychosis. It really really messed me up. So much so, that that period was deleted from my memory. I can only recall the day I was locked away in the room and when I asked to be released and asked to be able to go back to school through a letter because I was afraid of them. Verbal and physical abuse followed when I finally started being with the family. But that's a wound that I can never forgeet or forgive my "family". That level of cruelty is unmatched, just talking about it now makes me feel so much rage inside. I can only imagine what Genie must have went through.
Markus, I want to thank you for sharing what you went through! I am so so sorry you had to endure that kind of treatment and pain. My heart is hurting for you. Nobody should have to go through what you went through. I know you said thinking about it makes you angry - I’m angry for you too. 💔
You're very brave, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You are still here, and people who do bad, bad comes to them right back. You deserved more and you are worth more than the people who treated you like this.
Hope you are doing well and getting the help that you need and love you deserve :)
I am so sorry this happened to you markus.
That's terrible💔My heart goes out to you. I wish you strength and love
I'm so sorry that happened to you!!! How cruel!! I have had a rough life too with many different people abusing me in varied ways. I am finally adjusting in my senior years.
This just makes a person wonder how many people are actually treated like this that we don’t hear about.
Yes. It really does. It makes me think of Gabriel Fernandez too. These are only the kids who are discovered by authorities. It breaks my heart to think there are probably hundreds or thousands more that we will never know about.
Every house I drive past, I wonder if there's someone locked up in there. It's a messed up thought, but I feel bad thinking someone could be so close to getting help, but no one knows.
@Alevermor I couldn't even finish watching that documentary, it was so sad. All of it is sad.
@@chinchilling92
Yea...I had to take breaks.
But I watched it because it explains to me what I recently referred to my therapist as 'what ever my disability is' ...
I feel some healing and relief after 71 years.. .. but in that....
I sobbed uncontrollably for 'us-
Who are beautiful souls living in such a dark world ...
Telepathy between those who can hear
Is a faster and more liable communication
Human spiritual evolution has been systematically truncated in human beings...
Words are so limited
Unless you're some kind of poet
But we're trapped here having to speak...
And honesty is 'regulated'
there are horror stories coming out all the time, even in this day and age. In Ireland, a story about a three generation family where they all committed sexual abuse against each other and members of their extended family. Animals
It’s astounding that Jeanie’s linguistic therapist was denied fostering yet Jeanie was placed in a militaristic home then back to her mom! Continuing cases of inept children services departments.
Of course, why try to help someone when you can be a power hungry sociopath instead?
I know! That was heartbreaking. She had already been through so much, and she was making so much progress! They just ripped that all away...
Astounding, disgusting and Fully legal.
WILD 4 REAL DAT SUSAN" BEST INTEREST WERENT BEING CARRY OUT , TO THE FULLEST OF HER CAPABILITIES.
KNOWN IT 4 YRS & THE FEELINGS ARE STILL HEARTBREAKING
BLESS DAY TO YOU🌻
💯💯💯💯
I am a foster carer. My first placement was a little boy rescued under similar circumstances to these circumstances. His walk and the way he held his hands we very much the same. Fortunately for him his was placed with us where he got the emotional and mental stimulus needed. He will always need life long care but his speach and understanding are amazing and everyone who meets him are captivated by his unplifting personality. He was adopted 7 years ago and continues to thrive.
God bless these poor children 😢
The abused children of this world need more kind, caring and patient people like you. Thank you for what you do for them.
God Bless you for the help avd Love youve provided
@@hankpeganoff3953 Thank you for your kind words. We saw him yesterday. My heart swells with pride at how far he has come. And I still love him.
You're an amazing human being. Thank you for being you, seriously 🙏💙
As an autistic woman as well, hearing about this a decade ago, it did burn a hole into my head as well. Thank you for covering this and respecting it.
Her mother ruined her opportunity with the specialists for anything remotely close to a normal life. If you ask me, mom is just as guilty as dad! Moms motive for the lawsuit was pure greed....and child services should have NEVER allowed her to go back to mom!
The parent who stands by is more evil than the person doing it.
I totally agree, in fact her mum should have been told to stay away forever.
The father had to sleep at some time....and with a shotgun near by...He had already caused the death of 2 of her other children.
The mother should have left and begged for help the first day that poor child was abused like that. She was just as guilty as the father. I understand she was abused too but how can you let your own child go through that?
Smh hope none of you replies and op ever go through domestic violence bc it’s shame the way you criticize the mother
This is a horrible look into the careless way our society looked after this child. The funding should NEVER have stopped. NEVER. She should have been cared for like a princess. The fact that they didn’t take care of her brother either just shows how coldhearted our so-called professionals are too.
But our government needs money for weapons and subsidies for the wealthy…not little kids.
And no effort was made to place her properly given her circumstance.
@@auntiedoodles6898 or her brother. Both of them should have been cared for by people with enough compassion to do it properly.
I cant believe they just left him behind! 😢
different times...
Genie's story makes me sad. She was intelligent, she had the potential, and she was neglected not only by her family but by the government, the world. I'm so sorry life was so cruel to you, Genie.
Government is us- we do not care for children the way they need to be. We do not storm our streets and demand those who created these situations by being inept in their jobs lose them.
Me too
Boo hoo. Are you feeling ok? U pathetic
Oh how I wish I could hold her, hug, her and tell her she's loved. As a father to a little girl, this story breaks me
Creep
@caseinnitrate2005 it's sad that, that's how your pea sized perverted mind thinks. Maybe one day you'll grow up
@@caseinnitrate2004whats the definitiob of a creep
@@caseinnitrate2004shut up
Ur dad never hugged you and told you you're loved? @@caseinnitrate2004
Mother filing a lawsuit to people who really cared for her daughter unlike her, speaks tons that mother was as bad as her father. Poor child.
Yes but remember that the mother had some brain damage from hitting her head as a child.
The mother was probably coached. Also you have to consider the context of the years that this happened in, why different society then.
Any woman who would allow such abuse to a child is just as guilty as the husband. So often women sacrifice their children to abusive or predatory men.
I agree with you, but given the woman's limitations, it's likely a lawyer sought her out and convinced her to sue, because it would be lucrative for them. Lawyers get a huge chunk of the payoff and they do seek out cases they hear about
two of her kids just died, one lived with his grandmother for years then was severely abused, her daughter was locked up for 13 years and she only left to go collect a fucking check? i only needed to hear the start of it
I worked in the late 80s with developmentally disabled adults. One particular man I worked with was socially isolated. At the age of 26 he looked like a 10 year old. Non verbal. He was born disabled and then isolated. He was my favorite client to work with. I just fell in love as I was a mother to a boy already. My son was an infant at the time. They were almost the same level of cognitive thinking. It was an honor to work with him. I'll always carry him in my heart. Marcos. ❤
Thank you for working with these adults, what a wonderful human you are ❤
Is he passed on now
he's going to remember you for the rest of his life. you changed that man's life.
@Allen D I have no idea. I moved states. I'd like to think he is. He was only 6 years older than me at the time.
beautiful!
it is so disgusting that the child would be returned to either parent who had allowed such severe abuse, but especially so because funding ran out. And then to put her into a regular, not medical, foster home when so many qualified medical people were willing - just sad and pathetic the system abused her again
No shit "funding". They fund anything and everything that isn't good. These CPS people are pure evil.
It's absolutely criminal that Jean butler was denied adoption of Genie. Yes, the team that was caring for her and studying her had a conflict of interests and didn't seem to know where to draw the line, which is shocking that anyone would even consider putting experimentation ahead of nurture. But Genie was thriving for the first and only time under those conditions.
Nobody else that took her after that had the education or experience to have a clue what to do with her, so she was neglected and abused again. And Genie can't possibly have understood why she was suddenly abandoned by the only people that had truly taken care of her. This is such a sad, sad story.
@Tinahochstetler2189
I thought about the same thing. Even after she was institutionalized Jean Butler still went to go see her twice. I bet it broke her heart to see Genie had reverted back into herself & wouldn't come back. The whole story from beginning to the end. Finding out that she was just thrown into an institution, where she most likely has died since then. Such a tragic life, You know there still are children being put threw the same type of abuse out in our world. Its sad to think that the criminal treatment by these children's abusers will only be punished after they die & must answer for their cruel deeds.
I was thinking the same. Ms. Butler seemed to really care about Genie. Combining that love and care with her professional abilities would have been really good for Genie.
@@pamelalintz5724 A Wikipedia article says that she's alive, 66 years old. I pray she's found caring friends. May God bless Genie Wiley.
@@mike7gerald Pray to whom? Your imaginary god / gods who let her be tortured by her father for years ? Your god / gods are psychopaths
@@mike7gerald lol
the “genie happy” made me tear up. i’m so sad that her mother took her back… this poor soul. my heart is broken for her. i wonder if she is still out there and is doing okay.
It blows my mind they let her neglectful mother take her back. When she was 50% of the child's abuse and neglect. I'm a man but I'm trying to think as a woman of that era. I know the mother was also abused by him but if I couldn't have saved my first child from him he'd surely die from food poisoning and he'd be having no more children.
What happened after she was taken away from the scientist and her mother sued was horrible, Truly a cruel and unfair life, she didn't deserve any of that.
I agree.
Normally I wouldn't think being a science study would be good for someone, but in Gennies case It seems to me she would have been way better off if she were studied the rest of her life. She had been thriving with them.
dismemberment is the only thin that can be done to better her life at that point.
It seems to me that the scientists who studied her genuinely cared for her, and gave her the affection she never knew.
The mother wrecked the whole thing.
@@emilyberry1985
Yeah ... until the funding ran out.
And then they dumped her right back where she was before they took her.
Did her mother have any way to financialy support Genie? I doesn't sound like she did.
When we meet some stranger in public who seems to act weird or “stupid”, we should never forget what that person might have gone through and suffered in their childhood. RIP John Wiley. And wherever you are Genie, I hope you’re doing okay and have forgiven humans and how they treated you. ❤
This is true. I never pass judgment on someone who acts strangely or weird. Like the gas station clerk I see occasionally in the mornings. He says sorry constantly, even if there’s no need to say it. I’m just like “ it’s alright man, no worries, you’re all good bro 🤝”. But yea he says sorry ALL THE TIME.
Oh and he stutters a lot. I feel sympathy for him. I always treat him with respect and try to boost his confidence. He’s a good dude, just kinda different
@@justsomecoolprayingmantisd6422 yeah you just never know what someone went through… no need to be mean unless a person tries to attack you.
@@justsomecoolprayingmantisd6422 My dad did that too..😢😢😢he also would not touch anyone else's stuff ..even while staying with me, he wouldn't make food, touch any of my stiff and would ALWAYS say he wanted to stay out of my way and apologized FOR EVERYTHING! I LOVED HIM SOOOOOOOOOO VERY MUCH 😢😢😢HE RECENTLY DIED. 😢😢😢😢
Marin Schuldt - sorry to hear about your dad 😞. Sounds like he was a good dude .
Praying for you 🙏
After watching this I just want to send loving thanks to my parents who raised me with so much love, generosity and kindness. They gave me a sense of ethics, knowing right from wrong as a guiding force. I just wish every child had that in their life ~
it blows my mind how kids are just BORN into these evil situations beyond their control while others are born into loving homes with 2 loving parents. i don't understand how there can be such a disparity for humanity like this.
I actually told my parents I'm grateful for the physical discipline I had received too when I was younger I would definitely be dead or in jail if I wasn't taught that way I myself believe
Like truly thank God for my parents ❤
I’m 64, and still struggle with disorders from childhood trauma… and it was no where near what this poor soul went through.
(First time watcher, nice work.)
What happened?
God bless you.
@@adud5475 domestic violence
I'd want to hug and hug and hug and hold this poor little girl and not let go. This story hurts so much. Our precious children in the World need so much 💕
Learned new details I didn’t know about. So sad that she was doing so well only to be left behind after being exploited and abused. Such a sad story. I hope she has found joy somehow.
Me too
Shame on them hope you're OK now xx
The shrinks and military got the info they wanted from her and she was of no more value to them. So her future was meaningless. This is America.
I don't think she was exploited by her therapists. She made great progress. Her mother and the foster care system ruined her chances. Heartbreaking.
She should have been in a permanent home as soon as she was taken from her parents. It's crazy that she was returned to live with her mother. One of her team should have taken her in permanently with her mother allowed to visit after getting therapy and instruction.
they should have allowed Jean Butler to become her foster parent : (
@@boomeradley8748 Agree. I wonder what really went on in denying Jean Butler the opportunity to do that. In retrospect I'm sure they all wish it had happened.
Society is terribly feeble when it comes to the "other", one seen as outsider, flawed and possibly dangerous.
@@maureenharrison6170 many people try very hard with such people, but helping them is very difficult.
@@barbarabrooks4747 oh yes, but i meant society as a whole. There is a deep fear of people who are different.
Yes , I knew of this story. As a psych major and someone who has also experienced short term periods of isolation i am profoundly moved by this case and wish so much that this beautiful individual could have been saved. It makes me feel that we must, as a society, rise to the occasion and recognize that while this case is extreme, there are people everywhere, all around you, who are hurting and suffering and need to be recused, even when you don’t see it . If I don’t do anything, if you don’t do anything, if the system doesn’t do anything… who will?
It’s up to us-all of us-to stop abuse, to intervene, to create neighborhoods, cities, and a world that will never tolerate the neglect ,never turn a blind eye, or assume “it’s up to someone else”. It’s up to all of us.
There’s a quote that says, if you want to change the world go home and love your family, and so often I hear from psychologists that the number one problem in this world is POOR PARENTING, and boy does this case exemplify that.
Odd they’d say the issue is parenting, parenting is a term that’s poorly defined and highly subjective, psychologists speak in terms of attachment… I don’t know if you have paraphrased poorly but as a psych, I can’t really believe they said “parenting” or that they failed to discuss intergenerational trauma, epigenetics or stress diathesis thresholds
As a fellow psych major, I totally agree with your comment. Child abuse and neglect is so very common and it absolutely is the leading cause of most societal issues we see. Homelessness, addiction, suicide, incarceration, violence and crime.. all can be easily traced to childhood trauma (in almost all cases). If we can improve in this area, I expect we would see much improvement in these areas. I just started a job in human services, sort of a social work adjacent role, and I’m so happy to have a chance to make a difference in my community and use my degree to do some good! You have a big heart, keep going and don’t give up
@@TheBreechieit’s odd to me that you chose to try to correct someone’s word choice so fervently instead of adding any meaningful input to the topic at hand. Yes all of those things are discussed in classes at times but we also use regular English words and phrases. Also, psychologists use the word “parenting” and would absolutely give that sort of advice, because it’s true! To me it seems that you’re desperate to sound smart and have a need to correct others- even when you’re wrong. You obviously understood the comment’s meaning so why be this way? Maybe reflect on that a little, just my two cents
@@tianna1116 something meaningful would be the statistics and research. While amazingly harmful with measurable outcomes, the majority who do experience abuse don’t have ongoing issues or ring any psychometric bells. It’s just basic low level differentiation in assessment to consider this, it’s concerning when the fundamentals are missing thus my comment…
If you want a transformative conversation supervision is a wise option, otherwise the facts remain, around 30% of people who experience abuse or life threatening experiences during their development will have skewed development, the same types of numbers we see with PTSD also. Why less than half? We clearly aren’t speaking of chance with that statistic but we also can not deny its absolute impacts given we see a stat showing glaring frequency… But you do have to understand, appreciate and acknowledge those numbers, what they mean in terms of aetiology and treatment…
Look, I’m pretty old now, I’m no longer a “psych major”, I’m a psychologist with more than 20 years experience… Yes the word parenting is used but that’s not how it’s spoken of in psychology world. If I’m honest, I hear this largely from support workers, social workers and human services folk… Parenting is far too global a statement and psychology is incredibly precise, “parenting” isn’t a theory, it’s not found in any books…. Baumrinds’s parenting styles may be spoken of but never separate to attachment, polyvagal theory is becoming very common too but everything will be empirically based and that is a disproven notion… Parenting is not a defined term, there is no link between parenting and psychometric outcomes…
I had the same arguments as you at your level of professional development, but with training, and time nuance begins to reveal itself. Things aren’t as easy to label with the stroke of a brush…
All too often I’ve seen therapists rush to assume trauma because there was abuse in the FOI, only for clients to learn much later, after expensive and unhelpful therapy, that they had ASD and this was the origin of their anxiety, I saw a women with full on thyroid induces psychosis causing issues but no one tested her because she had a terrible history, and I know if a case where a teens sudden very severe self harming was labeled trauma induced because his childhood was awful when in fact, they’d been clipped by a bus 12 weeks prior and had an undiagnosed ABI…. Are you stopping to consider this when you race to say parenting is the issue? What we saw looked like trauma responses, their foi and history exposed extreme abuse and yet none suffered with any problems related to trauma itself.
That’s why there are psych majors and psychologists. They are worlds apart and that is ok - they’re not the same field… People have different needs and a spectrum of supports along the way, this is why each profession has a different lens and framework however similar… I felt very much like yourself at the start of my career, in fact I opted not to immediately become a psych after my education and worked in areas like yourself for many years… It felt kinder, the pay offs were much more visible and the effect had was noticeable in the improvement in their life…. We should always work to our strengths in ways that make the most meaningful change - I’ve done my time of unconditional positive regard, I’m now working in an area where things aren’t so kindly and to bring positive change I do have to consider some ugly facts…. Enjoy that you can work from a gentle place to change lives - I can’t speak highly enough of your work or how important it is to people who are experiencing trauma and need support….
I’m no longer working in that place…. I’ve got be unemotionally honest and cleve to empiricism, not what feels good or even feels right, to save my clients lives….
@@TheBreechieThis is a RUclips video and the comments section. We don't need a scientific paper written here or discussed in the video to cover this.
I'm beyond disgusted that her "mom" got a settlement from the courts and instead of hiring help so that 'Genie' could enjoy a life with money, she just dumps her off into the system. I'm sick to my stomach over that.
I had heard about Genie. I had wondered what happened to her. I grew up in an abusive family as well. There were 5 children and my 2 parents. My father, luckily, was a truck driver, so most of the time he was gone. When he was we didn't get abused nearly as bad. Unfortunately, my mother had married my father very young and she was abused by him very badly. He eventually moved our family completely away from our extended families. He isolated us into a desert community in Colorado. He continued abusing my mother and all of us children. Like Genie all of us kept in our feelings and began to tear at out bodies. We would scratch and tear at anything on our bodies, pimples, scrapes from falling or whatever. I am 59 now, and I have many scars. It was not until the last year of my life that I have not had several open wounds (self-inflicted) at any one time. Today, I do not have anything. But I had been on so many medications for so many issues from depression, neuropathy, fibromyalgia, lupus, restless limbs syndrome, anxiety, pain issues from arthritis, and seizure activity. I was taking over 18 prescription pills a day last year in July. I was hospitalized at a different place than before all new doctors, they took me off everything. I wasn't happy about it but I had no one not even myself to advocate because I couldn't talk at admission. After 2 days, I was able to talk, I began insisting on at least my seizure medication. I didn't get it until the night before I checked myself out. Even though my regular doctors wanted me back on all my medications I refused. I decided that I wanted to clean my system completely out for two months minimum. It ended up being the best decision I ever made. I am now only taking my seizure meds 1 pill twice daily, with only an occasional muscle relaxer because of severe arthritis. I no longer have any of the other issues that plagued me for decades and my skin stays healed. I do occasionally get a bug bit but it heals rather quick.
♥♥♥
I am sorry that happened to you, your mother and siblings.
@@anneflynn9614 life happens we just all have to find our way through it. I am just blessed that it wasn't worse.
Blessing for you and your family. Abuse often leaves life long challenges. Glad you are taking back.your life and getting/feeling better.
I think you’re right with your thoughts at the end of the video. Genie needed a state appointed guardian or something like that as a buffer between her and the research team. I hope wherever she is now, she is safe and doing well. I believe her Mother should have faced criminal charges to be completely honest with you. I have heard of this case before but this is the most in-depth coverage I’ve seen. Good work on your video! ❤
I appreciate it! Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on the situation,too! 💛
I agree. It seems to me that in their quest for information the researchers were guilty of abuse as well. as is the case with so many abuse survivors, the state failed Genie.
Yes, the idea of a liason was such a good one. That could have made all the difference in the world in this case.
Yes, a guardian ad litem shldve been appointed (a legal representative w/ no skin in the game, as they say). Someone to advocate for Genie’s well-being & ONLY her well-being.
In today’s day & age this likely wldnt have happened to Genie.
Every video I've watched about Genie starts with her care after she was 'rescued.' This is the first time I'm learning that her mother walked into the wrong office.
As a parent this absolutely disgusts me, how could a parent treat their child this way, it breaks my heart into pieces. 😢
As a psychologist and pedagogue (Childcare specialist) I'm sorry to say that it happens much more than most people think. As I use to say: we often hear about the dangerous stranger - but the vast majority of neglect, abuse and violence against children happens in their "home" - and the perpetrators are the parents. For a period of 10 years I worked in a psychiatric supermax for the criminally insane - and when studying their casefiles I noticed the same pattern: a childhood & adolescense full of violence, abuse and neglect. Trust me when I say that most of us wouldn't have survived the childhood Charlie Manson went through. Not excusing him - but most of the people we call monsters were not born like that - they were created. Even a not so debilitating personality disorder like schizoid are mostly a result of emotionally cold parents.
This story is one of the saddest I have ever heard. That poor, poor girl - no person ESPECIALLY a child should ever go through this 😢 I hope wherever she is Genie is ok 😪
I was 14 years old. When I was taken. His name was Shockley. I was made to stay locked in a closet. Beaten and locked in a house. He had me for about five years. My Mother never reported me missing. She had seven children and I guess she did not care. One less mouth to feed. LONG STORY!! These kinds of things happen a lot. He changed my name and age. You never get over this. Even though I am 72 years old now. I still have nightmares. It is my opinion that most people and family don't want to hear this kind of thing. You just suffer inside.
That is SO TRUE!
When you’ve suffered abuse, you find that people don’t believe you; don’t CARE to believe you; think you must be lying; or think it’s rude of you to make someone else (your abuser) look like a bad guy.
Somehow, unless it’s VERY extreme, like this posted story, the one who’s abused, isn’t ever truly believed; and if the abuser is religious, HE comes out looking innocent, and the one who is abused comes across as they must have done something to deserve it.
This world is so messed up. I’m just thankful that Jesus saw it all, and promises to take revenge someday for those of us who can’t.
💟✝️💟
Sorry to hear about what happened you, really! 😊
Thank you for sharing, and I'm so sorry you were subjected to such trama and cruelty, and I pray that it made you strong and resilient beyond measure! Much love and prayers for peace in your life, and after ❤
God be with you I pray you have gotten some kind of counseling it really does help especially if they let you scream cry and throw things
My heart goes out to you dear one. I hope the rest of your life was filled with good times and joy where you could find it. People suffer greatly and we never know. There has to be some cosmic justice for this evil.
Her "team" deserted her when the money stopped. That's incredibly cruel and sad. I hope she's OK.
She deserved so much more than society gave her after they rescued her from that hellhole. This is heartbreaking!
“ The scientists thought, this could help deprived children in the future “ hearing that statement made an already very sad story even sadder to me. This is probably the third documentary I’ve watched about Jeanie and it never gets easier. Thank you for keeping this story alive by telling it, you did a fantastic job and can’t wait to see more of your work!
I attended junior high school with the brother, John. He displayed humor and seemed fairly normal. He had stunted height and his legs were bowed, causing him to walk like he just got off a horse after a long ride. I lived about 10 blocks from John and his parents home and remember the numerous TV news crews parked across the street on Golden West Ave to capture a glimpse of movement. I was saddened to hear of John's passing and wondered how his life had turned out. I always wondered how John dealt with such a sad situation and if he stayed intouch with his mother.
💛💛💛
This case & The case of Blanche, a French girl who was locked in her mom's attic by her mom, for 15+yrs~ Both their stories engrained themselves into my mind. The thought of how that level of neglect, tension, void, filth, abuse, mental atrophy, etc. How it Would have greatly impacted those poor individuals.. it's hard not to wonder about how many unknown stories there are that we just don't know about..? Makes me want to stay vigilant and compassionate.
Blanche was locked in a dungeon room for 45 years. Not 15. Such a sad cruel story.
Look up josef fritzl
@@greenbanana1001 that is one of the worst cases of kidnapping, Incest, being captive in a bunker, SA, and having to birth children from her sick dad.. I don't understand how the mom could just accept that random children were showing up at their house... And that nothing shady was going on in the basement all those years... It's disgusting.. those cases of people who are held captive are the absolute worst! They pull on my heart strings more than anything.
There is a special place in hell for such people who treat children like this
Poor Genie. Her story made me sad and so mad it is indescribable! The worse part is that she made it to a safe place where she could run,see, explore and communicate. Oooops! Money is gone. Go back home or wherever. This might have been the cruelest part of all of her existence. You don't miss or want what you don't know. To be given a taste of "normal" and then have it literally ripped out from under her is unbelievably heartless and so cruel.😢
I think the same.
I agree, all in all.
You can’t tell me this dad wasn’t a psychopath. This isn’t just ‘wanting quiet’ and this is after knowing that you’ve killed two of your other children already, and harmed your other child. But still, you do even worse unimaginable treatment? He was definitely doing anything he could think of to torture her. He knew what he was doing. And there’s no way this mom should have been let off the hook. And oh my gosh, unbelievable that they allowed her to be put back into the mothers care. Really poor John too if he was a minor, I wasn’t clear on that. But that mother should be full of shame. Suing them for taking care of her daughter and trying to help her, then sending her to unhelpful foster homes? Why couldn’t welfare step in when she couldn’t handle her and put her back with the people who were helping her? Probably because of the stupid lawsuit.
Unfortunately, this kind of thing happens to a lot of children who are rescued from abusive parents. They're often dumped into our flawed foster care system and experience even more mistreatment. That happened with some of the Turpin children after they were freed from their parents. I know a couple of the sisters have given interviews about what they're doing now and what happened to them after they were taken from their parents. It's heartbreaking that our system keeps failing the most vulnerable people who need the most empathy and care.
@@whatever7959 100%. my mom and 3 of her brothers were placed in foster care as kids. all 4 of them were SA'd by their foster carers (in different homes)
@@LB-ou8wt I'm so sorry. I hope your mom and uncles have been able to heal despite what they went through.
Our system sucks now, and the foster system/legal system was even was worse in this time.
@@LB-ou8wt I roomed with a girl in college, that had been in foster homes in 3 different states. The abuse she suffered in her legal home was horrific, but it almost paled in comparison to what she endured in foster homes & 1 boot camp in Tennessee. the boot camp (for troubled teens & foster kids with no placement) was shut down for child neglect, malnourishment, $ embezzlement, etc...She told me the very first day I moved in to room with her, "I don't want to see no Nilla Wafers or apples in this room. If I ever catch you bringing in Nilla wagers or apples, I Will Cut YOU. I don't play." I finally found out that they survived on only nilla wafers & apples in this boot camp. Her biological mom had been turned over to the know neighborhood pedo, when HER mother died young of cancer. My roommate's mom was impregnated in her teens by this man that was her adoptive 'father'. She had 4 kids and she became a drug addict. Almost all the other foster homes abused this poor girl. She was also separated from her 3 brothers. She was so damaged, it broke my heart. She didn't trust anyone & therefore you could NEVER trust her. I slept with one eye open because she was always threatening to 'cut me'. I often wonder what ever happened to her & I pray for her often.
I saw her story on tv. TLC documentary in 2003. I was highly disturbed after seeing the whole story. I always prayed for this precious girl. We are near same age. Thanks for covering this story.
This is similar to how my step-dad abused me but on a much greater and tragic scale than my own abuse.
As punishment for just about anything, my step-dad would put me in my room and deprive me of all toys and comforts. Nothing but a bed, a desk and a dresser. I was between the ages of 7 and 10. Sometimes I would be in that room for weeks at a time. Only being allowed out for meals or to use the bathroom. I also wasn't allowed to speak to my mother without his permission.
He did this to me because of the behaviors associated with my undiagnosed autism and ADHD. He thought he discipline them out of me, not realizing that he was actually further stunting my already slow social development.
It really fvcked me up and I only feel like I've made actual progress in my life only now that I'm reaching my 30's and have access to mental health support.
So yeah dont isolate your kids as punishment. Even doing it for more than a few hours at a time can mess them up.
@Andi Hagen I’m sorry that happened to u growing up 🎈
It's wonderful you're making progress. I hope you continue to thrive.
I believe only a few hours makes a difference. A few (very few) times I was so angry at my teen I refused to talk to him. That was the ONLY thing deprived and in 15 minutes he seemed so sad I didn't have the heart to keep it up.
I am sorry that happened to you. God bless you
almost same thing happened to me too :(
Those doctors who used Genie and dropped her as soon as the money stopped are disgusting people. She was improving so much and to be sent back to the mother who allowed the abuse of her and then dumped her when she couldn’t be bothered is so sad. She was abused most of her life. I hope she found some happiness and peace in the places she lived and she has some contentment in her life now.
They weren’t being paid personally, it was grant money used for research which is how they could afford to care for her and simultaneously learn from her and document her progress. When the funding for research runs out, that research must stop. It’s not the fault of the specialists. 100% of the blame goes to her parents for putting her in the situation to begin with. I’d be willing to bet those researchers (particularly the one who visited with her and checked in on her once she returned to her mom) were devastated at the way things turned out.
The researchers didn't just drop her when the money went dry, they were pushed away with court orders & defunding.
@@aimeedouglas1584 but when the research stops money stops being involved, they aren't getting paid to be in her life anymore. that doesn't mean they couldn't have done more to support her as a human being later in life, they just treated her like a test subject and benefitted financially, academically and professionally from working with Genie
@@boomeradley8748 Yes, because research scientists have famously easy and non busy careers, as well as infinite money and energy.
But several wanted Jeanie to live with them so, they weren’t interested in her after her “fame” faded?
I remember reading about her and talking to other students of psychology. I was appalled the researchers were given this poor girl to experiment with treatments. A long term plan that included true planning was sorely lacking. I always wondered what happened to this girl. She was abused again and again. She needed an advocate and never received one. Tragic.
Not the researchers fault. The reality is they were the only people who had given her the opportunity to grow to into a civilised woman. Unfortunately they cannot pull money from the sky nor can they prevent a mother from claiming her child without any concrete evidence of her abusing the child. Both her families are to blame
@@timefficient look further into these 'researchers'. It's not covered in this vid, but they were really no better.
@@jayp4033 okay, can you give me a brief summary then pls? I get she was mainly used as an experiment, but at least from what I saw here that they were still trying to help her become a more functional human regardless of what their intentions were behind it. Is that fair to say or were they lying about something ?
Yea jene butler was the only one that actually wanted to help long term
This is shown more on a movie on tubing call ( mockingbirds don't sing ). It's a good movie that's what made me come to know of this story
I had heard about Genie. I studied Linguistics in post-secondary, and we talked about her linguistic development in class, though many of the details were left out. I've always wondered about the rest of her story. Thank you for sharing this. I hope that wherever Genie is, she is safe and well.
You can come from abuse and not become an abuser. No excuses. Her mother could have gotten help and is also responsible.
What's sad is even after being removed the people around her used her.
Her mother was definitely the problem too she didn’t care
@@xoangelicaf0523 that is projection - go read the wiki on this, there is a lot of info about her childhood there. Not making excuses, just adding historical context. There was little understanding back then of the impact of generational trauma, plus poverty, absolute dependance, and don't get me started on the 'scientific community' vs social services.
The only way an abused child grows up without abusing others is if they get the help they need. Without help, they will grow up to be abusers themselves because they know nothing else.
My heart breaks for Genie. I think she understood more words than indicated and was a master of non-verbal communication. Although more important than science, is Jeannie's well being. She must have felt utterly betrayed by the language team when the study was over. Shocking & tragic that researchers cared more about being professional than protecting her legally from the control of her mentally ill mother, who could barely take care of herself. It seemed selfish of certain team members who stood in the way of Jean Butler adopting Genie.
I agree. She was a human. Funding should not have been allowed to "drop." Care was needed for years to get her to a place where she might be able to function on her own.
I agree. She learned at an early age that if you shut up you are safe.
They should have let Jean Butler adopt her.
Please be aware if you come across an infant who doesn’t ever cry or move it can be an indication of neglect. Infants have survival instincts to cry in order to get their needs met; hungry needing to feed, needing cleaned up, needing love by being held etc. Once their constant cries go unmet they eventually become silent due to no response to their cries. Thus they’ve become used to zero response and unnurtured falling silent.
Ps-it’s common but other reasons can be at play as well.
They learn to cry silently, trust me
Autism can appear as something else so dont just assume
That’s NOT always the case . My sister had a genetic disorder but appeared as a normal baby for about two years and one of the characteristics was that she didn’t cry. My mom would set an alarm and get up every 4 hours to feed her and luckily she was the youngest of 9 kids so my mom knew what she needed. The doctors says he wouldn’t live 6 months but she lived for 19 years. I only heard her cry twice in her life when she was very ill. Don’t assume.
@@maryboehmer2284 I’m sorry for how my response read. I fixed it and thank you for correcting me. Education is powerful and now you’ve just taught a ton of people including myself as well. Sorry for the very incorrect comment. I hope it reads better now.
@@KATMOMSEVEN I’m sorry for how my response read. I fixed it and thank you for correcting me. Education is powerful and now you’ve just taught a ton of people including myself as well. Sorry for the very incorrect comment. I hope it reads better now.
When they talked about her laugh 😭💓 this case, Genie's trauma is just beyond anything I have ever heard of. Just terrible, more than terrible...there are no words.
Reminder: always be kind, loving, gentle to children who you come across. You never know what hell they may be living in.
This video is the most comprehensive and informative of all videos I have seen previously regarding Jeanie. I appreciate the depth and factual research integrated in this video. I equally respect that the video was not dramatized, but simply fact driven, and tells the full truth and history of Jeanie and her story. Thank you.
Thank you for the kind words, Rachael!
Fascinating and devastating at the same time. I don't understand why she was returned to her family after showing such positive progress with her team. Seems to me that it was downright cruel to put her back where she had endured so many years of torture. Surely something better could have been worked out. Sadly it's too late now. I hope Genie has been able to find some sort of peace in her life if not happiness.
You can learn words and their meaning after a certain age but you will not be able to construct a sentence. Genie proved it to be true.
Absolutely heartbreaking.And shame on the mother for taking back her daughter after mother for taking her daughter away from specialists who actually helped her so much and cared for her wellbeing.Sorry,but as a mother of three,like the majority of mothers,we put our children first.The mother has years to ask for help,even gone to the neighbors or anything,blind or not…there is absolutely no excuse!.
Thank you for sharing this tragic story,I never heard of it.
You say ' shame on her mother' but I got from this, that the mother was also abused, mentally disabled, and incompetent and incapable of saving her children.
Loving awareness is the glue that shapes our humanity.
I’ve never heard this story. Devastating and unfair as descriptions don’t even touch this story. This poor woman. Praying for anyone who has endured any level of abuse. Really puts life into perspective. Thank you for sharing this.
Once I met the niece of a poor custodian who lived in a small shack at the small private school he worked for, she literally had traumatized seeing unfamiliar faces and you can tell she was abused... could not read, write or speak english and made grunting/barking noises. Some parents are incredibly cruel, many people treat their dogs better.
I can guarantee you that people like that treat their dogs just as bad, but that is a horrible story did you ever find out who that girl was and what happened to her?
Many treat their pets even worse than this. Chained up outside in the snow for their whole lives, etc.
Children and animals are both
helpless and defenseless in the
hands of depraved, cruel and
abusive adults. The innocent ones should be rescued and neverto their abusers.🙏🏻
returned
And what did you DO about this child? Just knowing about her, does not help her.
cramsa - did you speak up and say something about her? Tell the authorities??
This reminds me of when I started caring for a stray dog. As soon as the woman who lived nearby found out she called the pound. Here was a woman wanting to care for Genie, and the others stopped her. The funding should have been for her lifetime. Someone should have advocated for her
Sounds like a total Karen! My neighbors threatened to call animal control when we were caring for sick kittens
New subscriber here. I'm 65, and can remember when this was in the news. I also read books and watched documentaries about her. You've done a wonderful job❤
She had a second chance at life and happiness, but her birth giver just had to ruin all that, take away the people that cared about her and were helping her thrive. Which ultimately ruined everything. The anger I feel is hard to describe
This is so damn heartbreaking. I remember Genie's story when i was a kid. I can never understand what drives people to abuse their children.
I worked in human services for over 26 years and I've seen some pretty bad things, but this story is the worst case to come to my knowledge, in terms of psychological cruelty. My childhood was less than ideal but my parents were saints compared to these two.
I know. Even my demoniac mother and narcissistic neglectful father was better than this. This poor girl didn't have a snowball's chance in hell with those two.
I'm just slightly older than "Jeanie" (Susan) and remember when this hit the news back then. I never forgot her. Also, I had never seen or heard anything of the story past her childhood, so thank you for that.
I remember this case so well. I was 11 years old when they discovered Genie and it was all over the news. I remember being horrified at the extreme abuse. I always wondered what happened to her.
Me too..😢
Heartbreaking.
I have never heard this story and hope that someone with a heart, has connected with her and is demonstrating that kind and caring people do exist
I used to teach psychology and always would show various documentaries on her story. It’s so tragic. This was very well done.
This poor girl's life is absolutely heartbreaking.
You narrate beautifully and I look forward to more true stories shared honestly by you. I was aware of Genie's story before finding your account and am pleased that you did not embellish or sensationalize it, but chose instead to share it with great respect.
@Mizera I completely agree with your comment. This was beautifully and accurately presented.
Absolutely
Just subscribed for this reason.
This case breaks my heart. Given the fact that I have a (2 years younger than myself) very mentally disabled sister whom is non verbal, a Type 1 Diabetic, and Epileptic, that I grew up with and have now cared for (for the past 7 years) since our mother passed away, this case REALLY gets me 😡 Her father was horrid. And he obviously had mommy issues considering he blamed his son for her death AND built a shrine for her. There’s, I’m sure, a lot to unpack there. And I think it’s safe to say he killed his first 2 kids. The son that lived probably only did so because the father was afraid if he killed again, he’d be caught red handed. 3 dead kids never looks good, right? And after the mother was brain injured she probably just didn’t have the knowledge or know how to get her remaining children safe. But she did try at the very least. I’m sure she was hoping for a better life for her and her daughter & was probably hoping to get her other son back eventually as well. I’m glad the father shot himself. He was obviously a very sick, angry man! And then the doctors. I’m sure they were trying to help, but let’s be honest, they were trying to climb the Clout Ladder. They didn’t just do it out of the kindness of their hearts or just for the sake of research. They all had their own agenda, I’m sure. And when an adult who had the means, the compassion, the patience, and the will to adopt little Genie, they accused her of “crossing lines” & “getting too involved?” Wow. No. They just didn’t want a parental figure looking out for what was best for Genie. Because then they wouldn’t have the access to her that they wanted! Then she goes to Foster Care and is abused AGAIN?!?! I have SO MANY thoughts about this! It’s just an all around sad situation. Idky they EVER gave her back to her birth mom. You would think that something more fitting could have been done with visitation from her birth mom if they thought their relationship was important for Genie. Now she’s an older lady that everyone just literally forgot about. Their little Guinea Pig was no longer wanted or needed for “Study Purposes”
The Mentally Disabled are PEOPLE! I get really sick of them being treated poorly. My sister has no idea what day of the week it is, no semblance of time, or any know how to care for herself whatsoever. But she is treated like the princess that she is. How ANYONE could do the evil things to anyone, let alone their own child is just disgusting. I hope he went to hell. I really do. And I don’t say things like that lightly. I’m sorry if I sound like an evil you know what, I’m not (at least I don’t think so, lol) but stories like this just get my so angry. I was in tears watching this because my heart just hurts for Genie and all the abuse she suffered. I hope she’s doing well now. I wish we really knew 🙁
But thank you for sharing her story. I’m praying for her. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Loved hearing your thoughts, Brenda! I can tell this hits close to home for you. Thank God your sister has you to advocate and care for her. You have a compassionate and tender heart. The world needs more people like you. 💛
You're an angel for caring for your sister, and with such love. I'd be lucky to have a family member so kind and loyal. You're an amazing person ❤❤❤
Brenda ,you are truly a wonderful person. Especially for caring so lovingly for your princess. If only there were more people in the world like you !!! You will be justly rewarded in heaven and the evil ones will get what they deserve in hell.❤
You don't know how rare you are, Brenda. What a beautiful soul. I agree totally about how, when not of any 'value' to them, those 'doctors' just abandoned Genie to further abuse and she should never have been turned over to the mother. You certainly do NOT sound evil by condemning evil :) and I certainly understand your outrage at others lack of compassion or seeming humanity. Makes you wonder what kind of people actually make those final decisions, about a young girls life. Blessings to you and your sister, lovely lady. 🦋🌻💕🤟
Your sister sounds wonderful and so do you. I hope you also take time out to care for yourself Brenda. Being a carer is so rewarding but it can also be very challenging at times. As a carer myself, people used to say to me "Wow it must be such a burden" and I would always respond by saying "Not a burden, it's a privilege". The only thing I don't agree with in your comment above is that I'm not glad the father shot himself, he locked his daughter up for years but wouldn't allow society to lock him up. Putting him in jail may have forced him to confront the magnitude of what he had done to poor Genie. He took control when he shot himself and consequently refused to accept the consequences of his own actions and that makes me really angry. What choice did Genie ever have, other than to live in pain, fear and seclusion?
You did a great job narrating this story. You give so much more facts and family dynamics than any other site that reported this story
As a new father to a one year old this whole story had me in tears
I worked at the children’s home in Southern California in 1982 and we received a young girl. I believe she was either six or nine. She also had been kept in one room, her whole life and went to the bathroom in a coffee can. Even though she was normal, she was so delayed from her lack of experience and after six months we never could get her to use the toilet. I hope somehow she found the help she needed. I think of her often.
I know this is probably not likely but is there any chance the place you worked at McClaren Hall? I may have spelled it wrong. I was placed there as a child & it was basically an orphanage for " wards of the state" & abused children. There was a girl there, I think they called her Lola & she couldn't speak, she walked strange & on her toes etc. from being neglected much like this story. I will always wonder what happened to her. It was around the same time, 1982 , McClaren Hall in El Monte, California.
@@jennaebaker5852 I know McLaren Hall but no it wasn't that it was a children's home in Chino
It’s unbelievable that parents, especially the father in this case, would do this to an innocent child. Those parents were really screwed up. The " System" wasn’t much better. The girl needed so much gentle TLC, stability, on a continuing basis. They ended up throwing her away. It’s awful!
I don’t doubt for a second that Pearl (fuck that I’m not calling him Clarke, his deadname is good enough for him) killed not only the first baby, but the second too.
Clearly a troubled man, fatherless son and son of a prostitute
As a child, being sent to my bedroom as a punishment for an hour or two to “think about how I could have handled the situation differently “ drove me nearly insane, I hated that kind of separation. So poor wee Genie, I honestly couldn’t imagine it 😢😢
Reading your comment breaks my heart! 💔
i would be put in my dads bedroom with nothing i could touch or entertain myself with for hours, i would cry and try to crawl over or under the gate to try to grt to my parents b. i hated the isolation, i have abandonment issues now because of it, ive equated isolation to self punishment or just how inshould naturally be. i cant be around people for very long i get so exhausted. they did other stuff to me but its not important
Time outs like those do that to kids. I never agreed with time outs alone in the room for 1 hour or more.
I loved being alone in my room. So, I am not understanding how u feel on that
I had not heard of Genie until today. Thank you for bringing her story to the world. And for those of you who think God failed either of them you're wrong our real life begins when this one ends
I've heard many horrible stories on horror-related channels over the years, but this? This is more horrifying than anything I've ever heard of or seen before. I legitimately hope Genie's living a great life, wherever she is now.
Her saying “Genie Happy” at one point is heartbreaking beyond words. Who made the decision to send her back to her mother? Her mother is just as bad as her father, they both disgust me. This whole story has crushed my soul. I feel so bad for this little girl all the adults in her life failed her.
I was abused as a child and stopped talking for almost 5 years. I felt lost, my feelings were ignored, nothing i said stopped the abuse so I just stopped talking. I can only imagine how she must have felt, what became her family got what they wanted and walked away. The court was wrong and should have gave her to the woman. It's sad because if the court would have that poor baby would have probably finished high school and became a productive member of society. This is so sad...
You are strong and brave. It’s so true they should have let her live with her researchers.
I went through the same. It is insane to think not talking is normal. It was a self defense for me. Growing up with a severely retarded father can be tragic
Yes, why didn’t a judge award the money from the lawsuit to GENIE to be put toward her continued care. She wasn’t able to sue anyone herself (couldn’t even think of the idea) but it was bc of Genie that her mother was able the wrangle it ! 😡
I am heart broken to see so many comments about abuse and I am just truly so sorry.
I am familiar with the case "Genie", it was standard learning material during my degree in Linguists. It always seemed to me that the researchers that got hold of the child merely continued the child abuse for research purposes and self-promotion. Once Genie grew older and locked into herself their interest soon vanished. Tragic case, questioning science and ethics. Thanks for recapping it.
That's not what is presented here. They were making progress with her until her mother asserted her rights and took her away. Then the funding was cut and that was that. They were the only people who ever helped her. You can question their motives it that fulfills an agenda of yours but, as I said, they were the only people who ever helped her and made her happy. She closed off AFTER her mother took her away from them.
@@alwa6954that was my impression also. I wonder what details were left out.
This is one of the saddest stories I’ve ever heard.
Her story is almost like the Turpins, except they were able to learn to talk and function because they at least had each other and the oldest ones weren't isolated their whole lives.
Exactly what I was thinking
And they had TV to learn from.
There are so many neglected abused kids out there.Its absolutely horrible.This story is the worst I have heard.Thank you for this video.Very informative .
My heart breaks for Geni... "Geni happy". She had potential. I can kind of forgive her mum during the time her husband was alive but not for what she did after regaining her eyesight.
My heartbreaks for John too.
Genie was not dumb AT ALL. She was highly intelligent and had a real future.
Such an incredibly sad story. Such an evil man and the mom not much better. Poor kids 💔
I was locked away in a dark room all day with 2 diaper changes every 24 hrs until I was 18 months old. Only one photo of me from that time exists. I don’t look like a baby. I look like a paranoid 60 year old with the world on my shoulders. Luckily I was saved from that and because I was a baby bounced back fairly well. But during my whole childhood I was suspicious of all adults, and now that I’m in my 60s, part of me still feels like a child who is suspicious of adults.
Oh!.. I'm a 47 year old, suspicious of adults because of childhood abuse, I always feel like a child around adults even when they're younger than me.. damn! You mean this feeling never goes away....
How challenging for you, it bewilderment, the amount of depravity some parents have. Are you stable now, how do you deal with this past?
Thank God you were still a young baby, giving you the chance to experience safer adults. Did you go onto have children?
I also had an abusuve upbringing, but in a different way from this. 🙌🌺
You are clearly an extraordinary person! People like you who have overcome significant trauma give me strength. I hope things are going well for you. God bless, and thank you for sharing your experience with the world.
I very much like the way you presented this story. What a crying shame for this girl.
This is truly one of the most tragic stories of ongoing abuse. I have known about Genie’s story for over 30 years. You presented her story very well, I only wish that there had been a better outcome for Genie, other than becoming an experiment that was later pushed away and forgotten by most. I also find it hard to believe there was a time that her brother received no help.
I’m sad, but glad to come across this story again. I hope no matter where she is now, she is happy.
Although I heard about this case previously I like your account of the story. Thank you for a calm & soothing delivery of all the cases you’re covering.
Thank you for the compliment, Michelle! 💛
I just wanted to comment on the cut off age for language. My Son is on the autism spectrum. He was non-verbal till he was 6. Many therapists and doctors warned me that if he didn't talk by the age of 5 he would never speak. Well he did, and it took him till he was almost 7. Now he still gets speech therapy but talks and is well understood by most people. Everyone does these types of things at their own pace. It is so terrible what was done to this precious child. How a parent does that to their child I will never understand. Two of my three children are on the autism spectrum, so I have NO compassion for these parents. Have a special needs child (if indeed she did have mental challenges or not) does not give you the right to treat them any differently than a normal child. How dare they!
Very interesting yet heartbreaking video. The writing & narration are spot on! Thank you
That mother was NO mother! She was a monster too!
As a mother of five (and most likely pregnant with the 6th) that feels truly blessed for every one of my beautiful children... this story hurts my heart on a deep level. I CANNOT fathom treating a child so poorly. I have to take a break from this and come back later. I'm sobbing. Poor lovely Genie ❤❤❤
Agreed - I can't imagine not completely loving your children. My daughter and husband are my whole world. That man was an absolute monster, I hope he burns in hell
hey so are you having number six soon ? ❤
Wow...that IS a LOT to unpack! I was born in 1965 and recall hearing about this girl, but little did I know all that it entailed. I'm mortified and stutteringly speechless. I didn't know, but I do now...and I, too, will have this portion of my brain etched with the memory of this video...this story.
I used to have all the original footage from this case. It still brings tears to my eyes. It never got better for this poor child. She was removed from her parents but placed in foster care where she committed while speaking and recurve a beating for it. At that point she stopped talking at all as she was afraid to open her mouth thinking that she might commit again, bringing another beating.
Utterly fascinating (and heartbreaking) video today. I had never heard of this case before. I hope Genie is doing as well as possible these days. God bless her.
I had not heard of Jeannie before. You are such an eloquent speaker and story teller. ❤
I like how you speak slowly and I can understand. My English is not good and so many people talk so fast! Thank you for speaking clearly and slowly!
I hope Jeannie has found good health, comfort and love in her life.
Truly moving story. Thanks for bringing it to us.
My first time to your channel. I look forward to seeing more of your work, both past and future😊
The primary concern and objective for Geenie by her Dr's should have been solely for her care and development of her speech and behaviors and integration into society suitable to Geenie's ability and needs. She was not an experiment for children in the future who were like Geenie nor was it her responsibility to find or be the cute for others. . Everyone and I mean EVERYONE has failed this girl and furthermore, they also failed her brother John may he rest in peace.
The doctors and researchers didn't care about her wellbeing though. They only cared about making money. This hasn't changed. Doctors and other scientists are still only interested in money.
I didn't start speaking until well after 2, my parents were worried I was "slow". Thank goodness I was born in the 90s and given the chance to thrive at my own pace. This story has always wrecked my emotions.. I hope Genie is at peace and is living the best life she can, given the circumstances.
Her brother was failed by the system, too!
We are the system. We failed, you failed
We studied Genie's story and case in my psychology class in college. It was heartbreaking.