Elisabeth Fritzl: Imprisoned As A Sex Slave By Her Father For 24 Years
At the age of 17, Elisabeth ran away from home. She went to to stay with her friend in Vienna. After three weeks of being absent at home, she was brought back home by police. Why did Elisabeth run away from home?
During her father's trial which took place 24 years later, it emerged Elisabeth was continually abused by her father from a tender age. Her father, Joseph Fritzl, began abusing her at the age of 11. She had always threatened to run away from home, and the couple times she did so she would be brought back home by the police.
Her father was born in April 9, 1935 in Amstetten, Austria. At the age of 21 she married Elizabeth's mother, Rosemarie, who was 17 years old.…show more content… At times, as a form of punishment, he would not bring them food and other things and would shut off the lights. He threatened to gas them if they ever tried to escape or electrocute them. It was obvious his family sought ways of escaping or finding ways of getting help from the outside world.
As the years went by, the family grew thereby the basement was enlarged to accommodate them. The height of the basement was too low which made it difficult for the children to walk upright. The door was keyless. He was the only one who knew the code to unlock the basement door.
Arrest and Trial
Living in an enclosed area for a long period of time, without being allowed to see the outside world can cause psychological trauma in a person. What about the children witnessing their mother abused or the mother witnessing her children abused by her father?
The first child died shortly after birth. The last three children - Keratin, Stephan and Felix - were taken by Fritzl to live upstairs while the oldest three were left downstairs. They lived a normal life as other children in the neighborhood. They were raised up by Fritzl and Rosemarie, their