In the US state of California, a girl who was kidnapped at the age of 11 in 1991 has been found alive. Jaycee Dugard has spent the past 18 years living in sheds and tents concealed in the back garden of her accused abductor, a convicted rapist who fathered two children with her. Ms Dugard and her two children were kept in complete isolation in the compound at the back of the house and never went to school or a doctor.

Ms Dugard had been missing since she was snatched off a street by two strangers in a car near her home in South Lake Tahoe, east of San Francisco. Since then, US authorities found no trace of the girl.

A new lead in the case, which remained open throughout the years, came to light a few days ago. Phillip Garrido, her accused kidnapper, was called in for questioning by his parole officer following an incident at Berkeley University, when Garrido tried to hand out religious pamphlets with the two girls.

A campus police officer found his interaction with the girls suspicious and investigated his background, ultimately alerting his parole officer. As a registered sex offender, Garrido was not allowed to be with the two girls. He came to the visit with the parole officer accompanied by two young girls and a woman whom he called Allissa, who later proved to be Ms Dugard.

When Garrido's home was searched, the police uncovered a "backyard within a backyard". The car used to abduct Ms Dugard 18 years ago was also found on the premises. Garrido and his wife, Nancy, were arrested over the abduction and prosecutors say they're likely to be charged later today.