Austrian woman kept in dungeon and abused for 24 years

Apr 27, 2008, 15:41 GMT

Vienna - Austrians were left shocked Sunday as details emerged of a 42-year-old woman who was sexually abused and held prisoner by her own father for more than 20 years.

The 73-year-old was believed to have fathered six children with his daughter, police colonel Franz Polzer said in a press conference in the eastern Austrian town Amstetten.

Police believe the woman, whose name was given as Elisabeth Fritzl, was held captive by her father Josef in what amounted to a dungeon below their apartment in the 23,000-population town since 1984, when she was reported missing by her parents.

In a statement released by police, Elisabeth Fritzl was quoted as saying she had been abused by her father since aged 11. In August 1984, he lured her into the basement, handcuffed and locked her in.

In the years that followed she had been continuously abused and gave birth to several children, she told police.

Three of her six children were locked in the room with her, until her father let them out. She claimed her mother had not known about her imprisonment.

Josef Fritzl was detained by police and was being interviewed, but refused to cooperate, police said. Authorities began searching for the woman when a 19-year-old girl, believed to be her daughter, was hospitalized in the town Amstetten last weekend.

Amstetten's authorities had been originally told by the grandfather that the 19-year-old Kerstin, was left with him in a very severe condition on April 19 by her mother.

They were also shown a letter by the woman saying that nobody should look for her, as this would increase the suffering of her and her children, making the case even more mysterious.

According to state broadcaster ORF, authorities originally believed the woman had joined a religious sect, as the letter hinted at seclusion and refusal of education for the children.

Three of the children, named by police as Lisa, Monika and Alexander, had been left at their doorstep, the grandparents said. They attended local schools.

The woman, who was released from captivity, and her remaining children, two girls and three boys, aged between 5 and 18, were being looked after by therapists, reports said.

One infant allegedly died shortly after birth, a spokesman of the provincial prosecutor's office said. According to Elisabeth Fritzl's statement, her father burned the body.

Her eldest daughter is in a very severe condition and remains in intensive care. Hospital officials in Amstetten declined to comment on the case and said no details about the girl's condition would be divulged for the time being.

DNA samples of all involved had been taken to establish a fuller picture of the case, police officials were quoted as saying.

Locals and neighbours expressed shock over the events, which was reminiscent of the plight of reminiscent of 20-year-old Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian girl who escaped her kidnapper after eight years in a basement dungeon in summer 2006.

Her captor, 44-year-old Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide after her escape.