Susan Wiley "Genie: The Wild Child" (page 2)

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The Trigger

On 6 Mar 2007, an anonymous editor on Wikipedia, added an newspaper article as an external link to the article on Genie, which identifies her as "Susan Wiley" here. In their edit summary they cite "LA Times article, March 18, 1979 by Myrna Oliver." In this same anonymous editors' next change here they add the parents names "Irene and Clark Wiley" and for this cite a website http://www.mymultiplesclerosis.co.uk/misc/wild-child.html

Seeing this, I knew immediately something was fishy. Not only were the names known at some time, but more could be discovered, if one were focused and determined. And I am, so I did.

Finding Susan Wiley

"Genie's" situation was discovered in 1970. Susan's mother Irene had recently left her abusive husband and, taking her daughter Susan with her, was living with her own mother in Monterey Park, California. John Wiley, Susan's brother, was living with their father Clark in the family home in Temple City, California. About a month after she left Clark, Irene being nearly blind, went to seek public assistance for the blind, bringing Susan along with her. One version states that an alert social worker spotted the oddly walking and behaving child, alerted her own supervisor who called the police. A second version states that Susan's abnormal background was not discovered until a social services home visit on Nov 4, 1970. Shortly after the real reason for Susan's unnaturalness was discovered, both Clark and Irene were arrested and charged with Felony Child Abuse.

A 17 Dec 1970 article "Felony Charge Dismissed in Wiley Child Abuse Case" on page 23C of the Valley News of Van Nuys, California gives her name as "Susan". It repeats her parents names as above and adds that she had a brother or half-brother named John Wiley, calling him "Clark's son". In this same article, Irene is called "of Alhambra, California", although their home is described as being "in Arcadia". In 1970, in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia. Susan "Genie" was taken into protective custody.

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