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## The Daughters: What the Record Shows
The two daughters born during Dugard’s captivity were approximately fifteen and eleven years old at the time of the recovery in August 2009. Their presence at the UC Berkeley campus visit was the result of Garrido’s decision to bring them there; the reasons for that decision are not documented.
The girls had been born into the compound. They had been raised in the physical and social isolation of the hidden rear section of the Garrido property. Their education had been provided by Dugard within the compound. They had not attended school in any conventional sense. They had limited knowledge of and experience with the world beyond the fence.
Their appearance and behavior at the UC Berkeley campus was among the observations that prompted Campbell’s concern and Jacobs’ follow-up. Campbell described them as pale, wearing drab dresses, and appearing unusually subdued for children of their apparent ages. Their answers to questions were rehearsed, suggesting that they had been coached on what to say and had delivered their responses many times before, rather than answering spontaneously.
The younger girl, when asked about a visible bump near her eye, provided what Jacobs described as a stock explanation—a response that was ready rather than reactive, the kind of answer a child delivers when she has been told exactly what to say rather than answering from her own experience.
These observations were not conclusive evidence of anything. Children can appear pale and subdued for many reasons. Rehearsed speech in children can reflect parental instruction about appropriate behavior with strangers, or anxiety, or many other factors. No single detail observed by Campbell or Jacobs would have been sufficient, standing alone, to justify detaining Garrido or launching an investigation.