' But documents he left with the FBI would tell a 'heartwarming story' of how he had turned his life around, he said.

Dugard and her daughters were reunited with her family as the investigation continued. Her stepsister Shayna Probyn, 19, said on her MySpace page that the reunion was going well. 'She's only 29. She has the rest of her life to live and I have a lot of love to share with my sister and new nieces,' Probyn wrote.

'In due time my mom will make statements and so will I if needed, but you have to understand this time is critical and the media attention would just add stress to something so delicate.'

Police also revealed a series of missed opportunities to discover the crime earlier.

In 2006, a deputy even visited Garrido's compound to inv estigate acode violation complaint that people were living in sheds and tents in the back yard. However, the officer never even entered the house and was not informed that Garrido was a registered sex offender.

'I can't change the course of events, but we are beating ourselves up over this and are the first to do so,' Sheriff Warren E Rupf told a press conference.