
Over the subsequent twenty-four years, Elisabeth Fritzl gave birth to five more children. While they were held captive, Kerstin and Stefan, along with their mother, were confined to the basement of the house. Her first child was born in August 1988, and she had another child just two years later. Throughout the years, Josef would sexually assault her daughter, which would eventually result in her becoming pregnant. Josef repeatedly deceives both his wife and the authorities by telling them lies.Īs a direct consequence, the investigation that the police conducted did not yield any leads, and the case went cold. On August 28, 1984, Josef lured her daughter into the basement by claiming that the door needed work and asking her to help him fix it.Įlisabeth’s new home for the next 24 years would be the basement the only person she would see during that time would be her father. It was a secret to everyone that Josef Fritzl had locked their daughter away in the cellar of their home, which was only about 20 feet below ground level. He stated that she had told him about the incident in the past. The statement that her father gave to the police indicated that he had no idea where she could have gone but that she likely had joined a religious cult. On the other hand, a letter purportedly written by Elisabeth arrived, in which she stated that she had become fed up with her family and had left.

So, tell me, how did it get started? At the time of her disappearance on August 28, 1984, the girl hiding in the basement had just turned 18 years old.Ĭoncerned about her daughter’s welfare, the mother made a report as a missing person to locate her daughter. The story of Elisabeth is one of the most heartbreaking because her father kept her locked up and sexually abused her while she was there. During this time, Elisabeth and her children worked to put their lives back together while Josef was in prison. Following the revelation of the horrifying event, Josef was given a life sentence for the criminal acts that led to the ordeal.
