Feral Children: Lost in the Wilderness, the Genie Wiley Story
In November 1970, a woman, accompanied by her young child accidentally stumbled into the wrong building, setting off an unprecedented chain of events. What followed was the discovery of one of the worst cases of neglect and abuse that most of the people investigating this case had ever come across. This episode covers the case of Genie Wiley, who was, for all developmental purposes, a feral child. She was an enigma that researchers hoped to unlock, sometimes crossing the line into potentially unethical behaviour.
Listen to the podcast episode on this case here:
Discovery
On the 4th of November 1970, a middle-aged woman paced the corridors of a Temple City building with her young child in tow. She looked lost. Unsure as to where her next move should be. Despite being only 50, she looked at least a decade older than her true age. She had cataracts in one eye, and significant neurological damage that made her almost completely blind. With her, was her daughter, Susan.
