Man imprisons daughter; fathers 7 children by her

Austrian police find them in windowless cell
Associated Press




AMSTETTEN, Austria --Some of the children locked in the basement had never seen the light of day.

A retired electrician has confessed to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering seven children by her in a windowless cell sealed by an electronic keyless-entry system, police said Monday. One died in infancy and was tossed into the furnace.

The suspect, Josef Fritzl, 73, owned a greystone apartment building, lived there with his family, and rented the other units to relatives. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on rape charges, the most grave of his alleged offenses under Austrian law.

His daughter, now 42, was 18 when she was imprisoned, said Franz Polzer, head of the Lower Austrian Bureau of Criminal Affairs. "He admitted that he locked his daughter ... in the cellar, that he repeatedly had sex with her, and that he is the father of her seven children," Polzer said.

Elisabeth said she gave birth to twins in 1996 but one died several days later, police said. The surviving children are three boys and three girls. The oldest is 19; the youngest, 5. Three lived with the grandparents, who said they'd found them outside their home. The others -- aged 19, 18 and 5 -- "never saw sunlight" until a few days ago, authorities said.

The case unfolded after the 19-year-old was found gravely ill on April 19 in the building and was taken to a hospital. Authorities publicly appealed for her mother to come forward.

After receiving a tip, police picked up Elisabeth and her father on Saturday near the hospital. Fritzl freed the three captive children that same day, Polzer said.

Police said Elisabeth agreed to talk only after police assured her she would no longer have to have contact with her father and that her children would be cared for. She told police her father began sexually abusing her when she was 11. He explained her 1984 disappearance by telling people she had joined a cult.

Authorities said the victims and Fritzl's wife, who was unaware of the other children, are under psychiatric care.