Aileen Wuornos’ parents separated before she was born, and she never met her biological father, Leo Pittman, who was later sentenced to life in prison for raping a 7-year-old girl. When Wuornos was 4, her mother left Aileen and her older brother, Keith, to be raised and eventually adopted by their maternal grandparents.
Wuornos later alleged that she suffered physical and sexual abuse during her childhood, although PEOPLE notes that she gave conflicting accounts of her upbringing over the years. After both grandparents died, Wuornos and her brother became wards of the state; she eventually ran away at 15 and lived on the streets.