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Our hearts sink when we hear that someone has been kidnapped and has disappeared without a trace. But sometimes they miraculously turn up, months or even years later. However, they rarely return unharmed.

These people were torn from their ordinary lives and plunged into unimaginable nightmares, but they became symbols of strength and survival.

In this chilling gallery, we delve into the harrowing stories of those who endured long periods of terror and captivity. From the heartbreaking disappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard, who was abducted aged just 11 and held captive for over 18 years, to the harrowing case of Elizabeth Smart who was kidnapped at knifepoint, these stories are full of horror and hope.

Join us and find out what happened in their darkest hours and where these survivors stand today. Click through the gallery to begin.

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In 1991, Jaycee Lee Dugard, age 11, was abducted in front of her stepfather as she boarded the school bus. She was held captive for 18 years.

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Phillip and Nancy Garrido held her in the backyard of their home. Jaycee Lee Dugard was abused during this time, and gave birth to two daughters fathered by Garrido.

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Phillip Garrido was already a registered offender because of a crime he had committed in 1976. In fact, he was required to report regularly to probation officers. On August 26, 2009, he went to the police station accompanied by his wife and their two daughters. The girls, who were 13 and 16 years old at the time, looked pale and frightened and attracted the attention of the police. Garrido and his wife were arrested at the scene.

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Jaycee Lee Dugard was 29 years old when she escaped from the hands of the Garridos. During her time in captivity, she kept a diary, which was published as a memoir in 2011. Today, she is trying to lead a normal life while raising her captor's daughters. In an interview with ABC News, Dugard said that she wouldn't stop her daughters from seeing their father if they wanted to, but that never happened.

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In 2002, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was abducted from her bedroom in Salt Lake City, taken into the woods, and held captive in a camp for nine months.

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This kidnapping was carried out by a religious extremist named Brian David Mitchell and his wife Wanda Barzee. They kept Smart chained to a tree where she was physically abused.

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After nine months, Smart's sister identified the kidnapper's voice as that of a man the family knew as Emmanuel. A sketch was shared with the media and identified by the family of Brian David Mitchell, who reported him. Mitchell and Barzee were taken into custody after being seen walking with Elizabeth Smart.

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Elizabeth Smart shared her abduction story with various media outlets and is now a mother, activist, and author of several books about her life story.

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In 1974, Patty Hearst, the granddaughter of the American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army.

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The United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (commonly referred to simply as the SLA) was a small, far-left American militant group responsible for several violent crimes.

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Patty's kidnapping ended with her arrest for bank robbery. President Jimmy Carter later pardoned the crime because he saw it as an effect of Stockholm syndrome. This psychological phenomenon causes victims to develop empathy for their kidnappers.

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Patty Hearst married her ex-bodyguard Bernard Shaw in 1979 and is a widower since 2013. The couple had two daughters and Hearst ventured into acting and appeared in various films and TV shows. She also inherited her grandfather's media empire.

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At just 12 years old, Sabine Dardenne was abducted on May 28, 1996, while riding her bike to school in Tournai, Belgium. She was taken to a home in Marcinelle, where she was held captive for 80 days.

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Marc Dutroux and an accomplice kidnapped Sabine Dardenne and tied her to a bed with a chain around her neck. Dardenne remained hidden in Dutroux's basement for almost 80 days. He manipulated Dardenne into believing that her parents did not care about her and would not fulfill the ransom demands.

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When Dardenne was taken, a passer-by managed to note the license plate number of Dutroux's vehicle. The authorities arrested the kidnapper after 80 days. Marc Dutroux confessed to abducting and abusing two girls, Dardenne and 14-year-old Laetitia Delhez. The bodies of four other victims and Dutroux's partner were found on the property of the convicted criminal, who had previously been arrested for offenses. Dutroux's wife, Michelle Martin, knew about his actions.

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Sabine Dardenne spoke out at Dutroux's trial in 2004 and questioned the abuser's motives. In an interview with The Guardian, she said that she didn't want to be pitied and wrote a book about it so that she could be left alone. The book is available in 14 languages and has been published in 30 countries. Today, she manages to keep her life private and little is known about what/how she's currently doing.

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Fritzl was abducted by her own father at the age of 18. He lured her into an underground bunker by asking her to help repair a door and then chained her up. She was forced to write a letter addressed to her parents in which she falsely claimed that she had run away and that they were not to search for her, in order to keep the terrible secret from her mother.

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Josef Fritzl held her prisoner in the cellar for 24 years. He abused his daughter continuously and she had seven children. One child died as an infant and Josef got rid of the body. He took legal custody of three of the six children by forcing his daughter to write letters asking her parents to look after her sons. The remaining children stayed with Elisabeth, hidden underground.

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A child in the cellar fell ill and needed medical help. Josef Fritzl took her to the hospital and said he had found her unconscious on the street. Doctors and authorities began searching for the girl's mother on television. Elisabeth was able to see the appeal and persuaded Fritzl to take her to hospital. When she felt safe, she confessed everything to the doctors, which led to Josef's arrest.

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Elisabeth currently lives in a small, anonymous Austrian village, referred to by the country’s media as "Village X." She lives with her six children and her boyfriend and the whole family has taken on new identities.

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Ten-year-old Natascha Kampusch was abducted on her way to school in Vienna on March 2, 1998, and held captive in a basement for eight years.

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Priklopil locked the girl in a basement without windows, which was soundproof and had a reinforced steel door. There he tortured, starved, and abused her.

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During the time she was held captive by her kidnapper, Kampusch was allowed to walk around the residence under constant supervision. On August 23, 2006, she was cleaning Wolfgang's car when he received a call about the noise of the vacuum cleaner. Seizing the opportunity, she fled and asked a woman to contact the authorities. After Kampusch's escape, Wolfgang Priklopil killed himself on a railroad track while fleeing from the Austrian police.

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Her story became known worldwide, which prompted Kampusch to write a book about her story. A film version was released in 2013. Today, she works as an author, television host, and activist. She was granted Priklopil's house, and although she doesn't live there, she continues to pay for the costs and upkeep of the home.

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Shawn was kidnapped in 2002 at the age of 11 while riding his bike. He remained captive for four years, just 50 miles (80 km) from his parents' home.

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Michael J. Devlin locked him up and warned him that he would hurt him if he tried to run away. He abused the boy and recorded the assaults. Devlin also trafficked Shawn Hornbeck to various states where he was abused by other people.

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In 2007, Devlin kidnapped a second child named Ben Ownby. Luckily, another boy witnessed his abduction and helped police by describing the truck. Four days later, Ownby and Shawn Hornbeck were found in Devlin's apartment. Devlin was indicted on 80 counts for the kidnappings and molestation. He pleaded guilty to all charges and received 74 life sentences and an additional sentence of 2,020 years.

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Shawn Hornbeck got married and became a father. Both he and Ben Ownby still live in the St. Louis area. The Shawn Hornbeck Foundation, founded by Shawn's parents, was active until 2013. Its mission was to find missing children.

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Amanda Berry, Georgina DeJesus, and Michelle Knight went missing in Cleveland, Ohio, in the early 2000s.

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Ariel Castro abducted 21-year-old Michelle Knight in 2002, 16-year-old Amanda Berry in 2003, and 14-year-old Georgina DeJesus in 2004. The women were restrained, abused, and forced to terminate the resulting pregnancies. They spent between nine and eleven years in Castro's house, where they rarely saw the sunlight. Amanda Berry gave birth to a child fathered by Castro and the child was also held captive.

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On May 6, 2013, the three women escaped after Amanda Berry screamed and banged on the door for help when Ariel Castro was not home. Neighbors helped her escape and notified authorities. Ariel Castro received the death penalty, but later took his own life in prison.

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Two months after their escape, the three women made a video to express their gratitude for the care and donations they received. Amanda and Gina published a book in 2015 describing their experiences in captivity. Michelle Knight changed her name, got married, started a foundation, and traveled the world as a speaker. Amanda Berry is raising her daughter, whom she gave birth to in Castro's house, and started to host the TV show 'Missing' on Fox 8. Gina DeJesus lives with her family and founded the nonprofit Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children and Adults to help families whose loved ones have been abducted.

Sources: (People, CBS)