Man 'imprisoned daughter in cellar for 24 yrs'

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:18 am

Austrian police are searching the cellar of a man believed to have held his daughter captive for 24 years.

Police said the woman, identified as 42-year-old Elisabeth F, told them her father kept her in a windowless basement, abused her and fathered seven children with her.

She said he had lured her into the basement of the block where the family lived in Amstetten in 1984, and drugged and handcuffed her before locking her up.

Three of her children had been kept locked up with their mother since birth and had never seen sunlight or received any education, police said.

Police said Josef, a 73-year-old electrical engineering technician by training, was in custody and had told investigators how to enter the basement prison through a small hidden door, operated by a secret code which only he had known.

Josef's wife Rosemarie had been unaware of what happened to her daughter and it was assumed Elisabeth had disappeared voluntarily when her parents received a letter from her a month after her saying they should not search for her.

Authorities are still trying to piece together details of the case, which is reminiscent of that of Austrian Natascha Kampusch who spent eight years locked up in a windowless cell before dashing to freedom in August 2006.

Elisabeth gave birth to seven children during her ordeal, one of whom died shortly after being born, police said.

Three of the younger children were brought up by Josef and his wife after they were left at the building, the first child accompanied by a note from Elisabeth saying she was unable to care for the baby herself.

Three others, including the two eldest aged 18 and 19, and the youngest, aged 5, had been locked up in the basement with their mother since birth.

Franz Polzer, head of the criminal investigations unit in the province of Lower Austria said: 'There is not only one, but a number of rooms: one room to sleep in, one to cook, and there are also sanitation facilities.

'The father seems to be very authoritarian and decided what happened and what was supposed to happen in the family - and today we know why he very closely guarded the basement,' Mr Polzer said.

The case only came to light when the oldest child, a 19-year-old girl, became seriously ill and was dropped off at the hospital in Amstetten.

Doctors appealed for the girl's mother, who at that time was believed to have disappeared, to come forward to provide more details about the daughter's medical history.

Josef then brought Elisabeth and her remaining two children out of the dungeon, telling his wife that their 'missing' daughter had chosen to return home, police said.

Elisabeth agreed to make a 'comprehensive statement' to police, after assurances that she would have no further contact with her father, who she said abused her from the age of 11.

The woman, her children and her mother are receiving psychological counselling, and police said DNA samples of all those involved were taken for analysis.

When I read these kind of stories it upsets me to think of how many other people are out there suffering in this way or indeed in other ways. It really gets to me and makes me realise that what I moan about daily is trivial and I have a bloody good life and should never forget it.

suzy_creamcheese · Post by **suzy_creamcheese** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:38 am

what a horrible story. I cant imagine what would make a parent want to hurt and abuse their own child like that

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:53 am

suzy_creamcheese;848820 wrote: what a horrible story. I cant imagine what would make a parent want to hurt and abuse their own child like that

I know, the more I read it the more insane it sounds, to be imprisoned from birth and then to let out at 18 and 19 years, what sort of life will they now have??

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:13 pm

Im wondering if life will be worse for those children now. To be set free at 18 an 19, never to have seen daylight never mind anything else. I read that the mother of the children (the daughter who was kidnapped) is severly disturbed and rightly so...This is so sad and it seems more common than we would like to think.

Carolly · Post by **Carolly** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:21 pm

I mentioned this on the Foc thread today as I just could not believe what I was watching on The News.So many questions...........How.....Why.....but I think the main concern has to be for that poor woman and what she been through.The children Im sure we all feel for so much and I just hope that no good git gets what is due to him even though nothing will ever make it right for those lives he has destroyed.

cars · Post by **cars** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 1:22 pm

Unbelievable! So many lives ruined, it's hard to imagine that any of them will turn out to be considered normal. (whatever normal is)

Tan · Post by **Tan** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:35 pm

This is one of the more twisted news stories Ive heard in a while. Glad you put out there for us to think about Chezzie. A sad part about it is that we read it and analyze, then forget about it once the trial is done. How much of this happens that we dont know about. It makes me angry.

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 3:37 pm

Absolutely mind boggling.

kayleneaussie · Post by **kayleneaussie** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 4:37 pm

JAB;849934 wrote: I'm amazed that the daughter and her 7 children had lived in the cellar the whole time and the mother never heard or saw anything? :-3

Yea I was thinking the same thing..how could the mother not know

CARLA · Post by **CARLA** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:01 pm

Strange, awful, disturbing, and disguisting I just can't believe this story.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:04 pm

Here's a new CNN article about this that goes into more detail and has photos of the screwball father, the house and the cramped bedroom they stayed in.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/04 ... index.html

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 6:57 pm

I don't care if the room was soundproofed, what about toilet flushes?

Did they all go in buckets and the creep tossed it? What about

feeding all those people? What did he tell his wife about the sacks

of groceries he took down there? He did it when she wasn't looking?

Something's wrong here, more than just that scumbag.

RedGlitter · Post by **RedGlitter** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 9:53 pm

Yeah and giving birth six times- was she gagged or what?

Did he do some kind of mental trip on the woman's mother?

WonderWendy3 · Post by **WonderWendy3** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:02 pm

That Poor woman and those sweet children....hope the bastard gets raped in prison by 3 big bubba's!!

It is sad to think that this goes on more than we know, and to think about how this woman will have to re-learn society behaviors, let alone probably finding a job/home etc....she has spent 24 years in a jail cell basically, for not committing a crime!!

SEVEN children by that sick man too...how disturbing, just completely disturbing.:-1

pantsonfire321@aol.com · Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:17 pm

He fathered seven childen with his daughter (some were girls, one died). I wonder if he abused any of the girls born to his daughter, or any other kids for that matter.

valerie · Post by **valerie** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:29 am

RedGlitter;850111 wrote: Yeah and giving birth six times- was she gagged or what?

Did he do some kind of mental trip on the woman's mother?

I actually haven't seen any articles that refer to his wife as the

woman's mother, they just keep saying "his wife"... anybody else?

The way they say it makes me think she's a second wife or something.

Supposedly, he has a number of children with her, too.

Not being able to see the sun!! Did they have any tv? BOOKS?

Schooling of any kind? It's a wonder they don't all have scurvy or

something... maybe they do.

gmc · Post by **gmc** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 12:09 pm

Real life is always more bizarre and frightening than any horror film could ever be.

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:58 pm

He owns another house which their also searching...Doesnt bear thinking about:(

WonderWendy3 · Post by **WonderWendy3** » Tue Apr 29, 2008 7:00 pm

OTHER properties??? I am with Chezzie, can't bear to think about what they might find!

-1

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Mon May 05, 2008 1:18 am

Just heard on the news that his lawyer says he's insane and needs help......a way to avoid the law ????? He's a monster !:mad:

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Wed May 07, 2008 8:41 am

Read yesterday that this animal also raped his grandkids:-1

Santanico · Post by **Santanico** » Wed May 07, 2008 5:49 pm

JAB;859600 wrote: But yet he claims he's not a monster, because....

"I could have killed all of them -- then nothing would have happened. No one would have ever known about it."

http://www.comcast.net/news/articles/ge ... -ABUSE-DC/

:-5

The man deserves a medal then!

:rolleyes:

Chezzie · Post by **Chezzie** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:55 am

Yeah he has issues, hes a sadistic mean controlling bastard who likes raping young girls. His lawyers are trying to say hes mental health so he gets an easier ride and that really infuriates me, he was sane enough to carry on living this lie till he got caught out.

SlipStream · Post by **SlipStream** » Thu May 08, 2008 8:59 am

:-5That's so very sick