The 73-year-old was believed to have Austrian 'hid daughter in cellar' ...
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A Long Week In Czech Politics ... fathered six children with his daughter, Police Colonel Franz Polzer said in a press conference in the eastern Austrian town of Amstetten.
A seventh infant was believed to have died shortly after his birth.
Police believe the woman, identified as Elisabeth F., was held captive by her father, Josef, in a basement dungeon below the family apartment in Amstetten, population 23,000, since 1984, when she was reported missing by her parents.
In a statement released by police, the woman was quoted as saying she had been abused by her father since age 11. In August 1984, he lured her into the basement, handcuffed her and locked her in.
In the years that followed she had been continuously abused and raped, giving birth to seven children, she told police.
Police on Sunday evening opened the basement dungeon where she was kept, overcoming several electronic locks set up by Josef F. The rooms were very small and below 1.7 meters (5.5 feet) in height. The basement contained sleeping cots, washing facilities and a TV set, the Austrian press agency reported.
Children had never seen daylight
Three Elisabeth F.'s six surviving children were locked in the room with her, until her father let them out a few days ago and claimed the mother had returned home.
For two of her sons, Stefan, 18, and Felix, 5, it was the first time they had seen daylight, police said.
Elisabeth claimed her mother had not known about her imprisonment. Food and clothing for her and her children had been provided only by Josef.
He had told local authorities that three children, named by police as Lisa, Monika and Alexander, had been left at his doorstep. They attended local schools.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Austrian police say that Josef Fritzl refuses to cooperate Josef F. was detained by police and was being interviewed but refused to cooperate with the investigation, police said. Authorities began searching for Elisabeth when a girl, Kerstin, 19, believed to be her daughter, was hospitalized a week earlier in the town Amstetten.
Amstetten authorities had been originally told by the grandfather that Kerstin, was left with him in a very severe condition on April 19 by her mother. The girl, who is believed to suffer from a rare disease, had also been imprisoned for all her life.
Authorities were also shown a letter by the woman saying that nobody should look for her, as this would increase the suffering of her and her children, making the case even more mysterious.
Story of religious sect confuses case
According to state broadcaster ORF, authorities originally believed the woman had joined a religious sect, as the letter hinted at seclusion and refusal of education for the children.
The woman and the children were being looked after by therapists, police said.
Police are looking for the remains of the dead infant. According to Elisabeth's statement, her father burned the body.
The oldest girl remains in intensive care. Hospital officials in Amstetten declined to comment on the case and said no details about the girl's condition would be made pubic for the time being.
DNA samples of all involved had been taken to establish a fuller picture of the case, police officials were quoted as saying. Results were not expected before Monday, but preliminary indications seemed to confirm the suspected incest, authorities said.
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Natascha Kampusch was held captive for over eight years Locals and neighbors expressed shock over the events, reminiscent of the plight of 20-year-old Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian girl who escaped her kidnapper in 2006 after eight years in a basement dungeon.
Her captor, 44-year-old Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide after her escape.
"We are confronted with an unbelievable crime," Austrian Interior Minister Guenther Platter said in a statement on Sunday. "It goes above anything I can imagine. It is a dimension where one is almost speechless."
(Deutsche Welle)
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