Tonight on Nova, the shocking story of a girl who spent her childhood locked in a bedroom.
The girl reportedly was wearing diapers, social workers discovered the case two weeks ago.
Raised in isolation, Genie was a wild child, uncivilized barely able to walk or talk.
The indications are that she was beaten for making noise.
(narrator) With footage never before seen on television.
Nova follows the controversial efforts to unlock the secrets of the wild child.
(narrator) Once in a great while, civilized society comes across a wild child.
A child who has grown up in severe isolation, with virtually no human contact.
This is the story of such a case.
The story begins in Los Angeles, on November 4th 1970.
(reporter) Specials in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia,
have taken custody of a 13-year-old girl and they say was kept in such isolation by her parents
that she never even learned to talk.
Her elderly parents have been charged with child abuse
(Narrator) This is the scene of the crime,
the child was locked in the room and tied to a potty chair for most of her life.
Completely restrained she was forced to sit alone day after day and often through the night.
She had little to look at and no one to talk to for more than 10 years.
The girl reportedly was making infantile noises and still wearing diapers,
when a social worker discovered the case 2 weeks ago.
Authorities are hoping that she still may have a normal learning capacity.
Here was a 13-year-old who seemed like an infant, girl who would be known as Genie.
Genie was taken to Childrens hospital in Los Angeles
where she immediately won the heart of doctors and scientists
She was fragile and beautiful almost haunting and so I was pulled and I was very drawn to her
even though I was nervous and had no idea in many respects what to expect.
Genie was about to test an idea important to science and society.
That a nurturing environment can make up for even the most nightmarish past.