Kids and mom locked in basement for years

In what is being described as a "House of Horror," a woman and her three children were held captive for years in hidden cellar.

A retired electrician has confessed to imprisoning his daughter for 24 years and fathering seven children with her in a windowless cell sealed by an electronic keyless-entry system, police said Monday.

Josef Fritzl, 73, had kept his daughter Elisabeth hostage since 1984. Three of her children, also held captive in the hidden cellar, had never seen sunlight.

One child died in infancy, so Fritzl burned the body in a furnace to discard of the remains.



Elisabeth and her three children were discovered after the eldest of the secret children, Kerstin, fell ill. She was found unconscious on April 19 and taken to a hospital.

When Kerstin fell ill, Fritzl apparently told his wife and the hospital that his "missing" daughter had dropped off the sick girl on his doorstep.

In an effort to find out about Kerstin's condition, the hospital and police asked the media to put out a bulletin requesting any information about the girl or her missing mother, attorney general Gerhard Sedlacek told NTV.

Sometime later, Fritzl brought Elisabeth out of the cellar, telling his wife that she had returned home with her two children after a 24-year absence, police said.

He took Elisabeth to the hospital to talk with doctors about Kerstin's condition, and at that point, authorities became aware of her situation, Sedlacek said.

Elisabeth's other children were being raised by Fritzl and his wife, Rosemarie. Fritzl told his wife that Elisabeth dropped them off on their doorstep because she was unable to care for them. The couple legally adopted those children.

Is it just me, or should Fritzl's wife, Rosemarie, get time in the slammer, too? Wouldn't you be a little suspicious if your husband tells you not to go in a certain part of the basement, brings food to the cellar during the evening and keeps finding children on your doorstep? Hm...