Garrow returned to New York in 1957, where he married and fathered a son. His life did not improve, however; he was fired from a series of menial jobs, including from a fast food restaurant he burglarized, and was involved in an abusive relationship with a man he later described as a sadist. Garrow was arrested for rape in 1961 and spent seven years in prison. Soon after he was released, he committed a series of rapes, and many of his victims were children. He was arrested for the rape of two prepubescent girls, but jumped bail and became a fugitive.