Have you heard this terrible story yet? This 73-year-old monster in Austria locked his 18-year-old daughter in the basement and kept her there for 24 years. During that time, he repeatedly raped her and fathered seven children by her, one of whom died. The daughter and her kids (now aged five to 19) lived in the windowless cellar until recently. Three of them never saw sunlight. The mother was upstairs the whole time, but didn't know about the soundproof rooms below the house.
The only reason they found the kids at all was that the eldest child was found unconscious and sick in the building and taken to a hospital and the secret room was discovered.
What people are asking now is how did no one in this town of 23,000 know about this horrible crime? Wouldn't the mother have wondered where her daughter (who the father told her had left to join a cult) was? Wouldn't someone have noticed the unusually high grocery bills? Didn't someone have to install the high-tech security system that kept them from escaping? Anyone who did know about this hideous crime and didn't report it should be put on trial too.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. I suspect that the wife was probably intimidated by her husband, probably knew what was going on, but was afraid of facing it and admitting it, and of the consequences to herselfif she revealed all. What a worm! As for the husband, he's the devil incarnate.
Barbie Speer at 3:27PM on Apr 29th 2008
2. What does it say for the daughter - I know I would have put a hurt'n on the old man at some point in the last 20 years. A fry pan to the head a couple of times and he would have thought better of keeping me locked up as his little "play family". What a sick, sick, twisted man. He should never see the light of day himself.
TJ at 3:31PM on Apr 29th 2008
3. I read this guy is Jewish - you think he would know better than to torture people. what a sicko. like those two old Jewish ladies in Los Angeles who killed homeless men for insurance money. Depraved! truelly sick and depreaved.
taylor at 4:43PM on Apr 29th 2008
4. I think one of the most difficult things you can do is try to rationalize or understand why something like this happened from the perspective of any of the individuals involved. I've heard people ask why the daughter didn't do this or that. Why would you even want to start passing out blame to someone who has suffered so much? This man destroyed a human life is the worst way. He took hope and happiness away and yet continued to let her live. The punishments handed out in ancient and biblical societies are the only things that come close to addressing the crime this man committed.
Jon at 5:03PM on Apr 29th 2008
5. TJ, there is no way in H*ll that the victim had access to a "fry pan" or anything else, and to suggest so shows extreme insensitivity on your part. Shame on you for blaming a victim with absolutely NO recourse whatsoever.
Natalie at 5:30PM on Apr 29th 2008
6. Let's not blame the victim here. She's not at fault. The fault lies entirely with her father, and probably also with her mother. I just find it very hard to believe that the mother had no idea at all what was going on over the course of 24 years.
Margaret at 7:32PM on Apr 29th 2008
7. While the whole situation is beyond horrific, what really gets me thing is this: at any time in the 24 years that these people were locked in, their captor could have been hit by a car, had a heart attack, etc.. and never come back. Then they would have been left to slowly starve to death with no way to reach the outside world.
scareys4 at 9:07PM on Apr 29th 2008
8. One never knows how this henous crime would effect these human beings and each month there are more reports. My personal view is all the family involved had a fear that causes 'paralysis' This man should be placed in a black hole for the natural life and bread and water.
Marly at 9:20PM on Apr 29th 2008
9. Nobody's explained how the 19 yo captive daughter was found in the building. I mean, how did SHE escape?
boredwell at 10:04PM on Apr 29th 2008
10. Two Words: Death Penalty.
Dave at 11:11PM on Apr 29th 2008
11. He is the devil incarnate. It really doesn't matter what religion he is because evil does not discriminate. In my opinion his wife had to know something but was afraid to do anything. I am shocked that the Austria police did not "investigate "that family when they reported that their daughter missing especially in the familys house including the basement.
Bee at 11:12PM on Apr 29th 2008
12. Hey Taylor, you sicko with a name like fritzles this guy is a Christian Nazi, his Nazi father did this to the Jews and taught his son well you freek, Taylor
yoma at 11:24PM on Apr 29th 2008
13. talyor this is for you
Over 60 years since the end of World War II, a notorious SS doctor remains on the loose and is the most-wanted suspected Nazi war criminal. One researcher said Dr. Aribert Heim, here in 1950, could still be alive today and would be 93. According to a witness, Heim once anesthetized a Jewish patient before cutting off his head and boiling it.
yoma at 11:35PM on Apr 29th 2008
14. Sad day when life is reduced by animal acts such as this!
ElsieB at 11:51PM on Apr 29th 2008
15. WOW. Disbelief, outrage, disgusted, it's a long list. First of all to "Taylor" your comment about the perpetrator being Jewish as well as the women in LA being Jewish holds no merit or what so ever regarding the inhumane acts of this man. History shows that people from all ethnic background committs hideous acts against other human beings. Stop the madness and don't be ignorant.
As for this person, calling him a man is to give him credit for being a human being. This "thing" and what he did for 24 years is insane. I feel that all we are given really is a snapshot of his transgressions.
We can ask, why didn't she (victim) try to escape? How do we know she didn't make attempts? She must at some point resigned herself to the fact that this (nightmare) was her fate. Or perhaps just maybe the mere prescence of her kids (regardless of how they were conceived) made her hopeful again. We'll never know. But damn it, it's hearbroken.
We can ask, what was going on with his wife? How oblivious can a person be? Didn't she find it a tad coincidental that suddenly out of the clear blue sky, (3) strangers (the kids) appear out of nowhere? They appeared at separate times but nonetheless they were there. And she (wife slash grandma) reported that they found the kids outside, that they were abandoned? How gulliable can you be to believe that 3 kids happen to choose your place of residency to get lost and or abandoned? Was there a memo in the paper that if you don't want your child that you can drop them off at their property? What was going through this woman's mind? Fear, denial, bipolar?
I believe once they (law enforcement) dig deeper into the family's history they will discover something more sinister. This couple have grown kids now, I wonder what is going through their minds as well. Utter disbelief following denial or perhaps rationalization or hate OR maybe someone suspected but wasn't capable of stepping up to end the nightmare the daughter and the 7 kids she fathered from hence, her father, endured. "What about those high grocey bills and high tech security system?" He installed them himself? Right and Santa Claus is at my door as I'm sitting here typing this. Should everyone be punished that knew about this hedious crime you ask? YES. No excuses. My biggest fear is that some psychiatrist will determine that he was not in a right state of mind. They may blame his actions on some deep rooted issues he went through when he was a child. So what if it was for 24 years, his alter ego made him do it. They will diagnose him as mentally insane. Blah..blah..blah. The insanity plea with this type of case is popular and any good defense attorney will use it. He may not have the funds to pay for a top notch defense attorney but hey, think of the publicity he/or she will get if they take this case. Granted there's a mount of evidence but with the legal system you never know what will happen. As for his punishment, a rope is not expensive and it will cost them nothing. Then again Austria don't believe in the death penalty? Hmm, are the natives restless yet? I haven't said a serious prayer in long time, unless you count my "please God, if I get this I promise I'll be nicer to my neighbor,a prayer then you're a much better person than me. I prayed the day I heard this heartbroken news. Their lives utterly destroyed and broken. My heart and prayers goes out to the daughter and her six kids as well as the child that died. My heart goes out to the entire family, as dsyfunctional as they may be. At the end of the day, they have to live with all this. We are just spectators, we emphathize but will never fully understand the pain, hurt, and betrayal they are going through. It's time for them to start the healing process. Time is what they have on their side. And of course lots of prayers from people world wide.
Tika at 12:36AM on Apr 30th 2008