The horror behind Elisabeth Fritzl’s kidnap
A decade ago, Elisabeth Fritzl finally managed to escape the clutches of her evil father Josef after 24 years in his captivity, exposing his hideous secret life of abuse and incest
he world was T stunned when, in April 2008, Elisabeth Fritzl, then 42, escaped a 24-year kidnap ordeal. She had been locked in a rat-infested cellar and raped repeatedly, giving birth to seven children. Even more horrifically, the rapist was her own father, Josef Fritzl.
To the outside world, Fritzl was a respected engineer from Amstetten, Austria, who lived with his wife Rosemarie and their seven children. But on 28 August 1984, he lured Elisabeth, then 18, into the damp cellar, which he had secretly renovated to contain a cooker, washbasin, toilet and two bedrooms. He later said, “I had to create a place where I could keep Elisabeth away from the outside world.”
Rosemarie reported her missing, and Fritzl forced Elisabeth to write a letter claiming she’d run away to join a cult. He banned his wife from going near the cellar, which was concealed by a bookcase, and visited Elisabeth every three days to deliver food.
PAINFUL CHILDBIRTH
Fritzl repeatedly raped Elisabeth, and after she fell pregnant in 1988, he gave her a book on childbirth and a pair of scissors. Remarkably, she delivered daughter Kerstin safely, then had Stefan in 1990, and Lisa in 1992. But the cellar was becoming cramped, so Fritzl dumped Lisa on the doorstep upstairs and forced Elisabeth to write a letter, asking her parents to adopt Lisa, as the cult she was living with “didn’t approve”. The Fritzls legally adopted Lisa, and two more of Elisabeth’s children, Monika, born in 1994, and Alexander, born in 1996. Each time, Fritzl produced notes from his “estranged” daughter. Tragically, Alexander had a twin, Michael, who died shortly after birth; Fritzl tossed his body into the basement stove. Elisabeth’s final child, Felix, arrived in 2002, and remained with his mother.
Fritzl threatened that anyone who touched the door would be electrocuted. But Elisabeth’s chance to flee came in April 2008, when Kerstin, then 19, fell seriously ill with kidney problems. Fritzl took her to hospital, and Elisabeth begged to visit. He relented, and drove her there with Stefan, then 18, and Felix, five. It was the first time they’d seen daylight.
TERRIFYING CONFESSION
When the pale, stooped trio arrived, they were immediately reported to police for their “suspicious” appearance. Separated from Fritzl, Elisabeth summoned the courage to talk. Detective Willibald Reitnerr, who questioned Elisabeth, said, “She was broken. She was afraid no one would believe her.” It emerged Elisabeth had been raped over 3,000 times. Police arrested Fritzl and, as Kerstin recovered, Elisabeth was reunited with her “upstairs” children.
In March 2009, Fritzl, now 82, was jailed for life. He admitted, “I knew I was hurting her. But the urge to taste the forbidden fruit was too strong.” After a spell in a psychiatric hospital, the family was moved to a secret location in Austria and given new identities. Kerstin and Stefan had private tuition, while the youngest child, Felix, reportedly attended school.
Little is known about Elisabeth’s life, as she refuses offers of interviews and book deals. But she is said to have had a relationship with her bodyguard. Now 51, she is thought to have rebuilt her relationship with her own mother, and is focusing on her future.