Chapter 4, Lost Summary and Analysis

In the summer of 1975, Gene was returned to the care of her mother. At the age of eighteen, Genie was too much for her mother to handle on her own. Irene turned to the East Los Angeles Regional Center for the Developmentally Disabled. Genie was immediately placed into a foster home where visitors were discouraged. Curtiss, however, continued to visit Genie and quickly became concerned with Genie's situation. Unhappy and abused, Genie stopped using the toilet and became constipated. The foster mother used an unconventional method to correct the situation, leaving Genie so traumatized that she stopped speaking. Curtiss urged everyone who would listen to move Genie from that home, but her pleas fell on deaf ears until finally Rigler and Miner helped move Genie to the hospital. Upon her release, Genie was sent to another foster home.

During...