On Wednesday morning, the first photo of Jaycee Lee Dugard as an adult was revealed on People.com. Many people had wondered what Dugard would look like, after having survived 18 years of captivity and rape at the hands of accused kidnappers Phillip and Nancy Garrido, who snatched the South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Native as an 11-year-old child. Some even went as far as using age progression tools on her childhood photos.

However, in the cover photo of People’s Oct. 26th issue, Dugard is smiling and, despite having darker hair, looks much the same as she did in 1991.

Read more: The Woman Who Kidnapped Jaycee Dugard

“I’m so happy to be back,” reads the headline on the magazine that will go on sale this Friday.

According to MSNBC, Dugard was not interviewed by the magazine, but decided to release the photos to People because she wanted to “lift the veil and acknowledge that she is doing well. She wants to thank everyone for their support and best wishes and to let people see that this is her.” (MSNBC, People)

More News: Tyra Banks tops list of primetime money-makers...

Photo Source 1, 2