Woman kidnapped by her Father

This lady said her Father kept her a prisoner for 24 years!! He put her in a basement down the street from where she lived with her family. She ended up bearing him 7 children. The Mother got a note from her daughter stating she had run away and would not return. After bearing a child, it went to live with her parents, stating she could not care for the child. A couple of the children ended up staying with her and have never been to school or even been outside.The story is really amazing, sad and shocking. I put it below. It makes me sad for all the children involved, including the now 42 year old girl.

Woman Says Father Put Her in Dungeon

AMSTETTEN, Austria (April 27) - An Austrian man has been arrested after a woman said she was abused and kept prisoner by her father for 24 years, bearing him seven children, Austrian police said on Sunday.

A police officer looks toward the house in Amstetten, Austria, where a woman says she was held captive in a basement by her father for 24 years. The woman, identified as Elisabeth F., told authorities her father abused her and sired her seven children.
Police, who were still trying to piece together details of the case, identified the woman as 42-year-old Elisabeth F.

They said she told authorities her father Josef, who had abused her since she was 11, had lured her into the basement of the block where the family lived in Amstetten in 1984, and drugged and handcuffed her before locking her up in a windowless dungeon.

It was assumed she had disappeared voluntarily when her parents received a letter from her saying they should not search for her.

Police said Josef was in custody but refused to speak about the allegations. His wife Rosemarie had been unaware of what had happened.

Elisabeth gave birth to seven children, one of whom died shortly after being born, according to police.

They said three of her younger children were each left in the house, the first accompanied by a letter saying Elisabeth was unable to care for the baby herself. All were taken in by Josef and his wife as foster or adopted children.

"She had been abused continuously during the 24-year-long imprisonment," the statement said. "This led to six children."

The two oldest children, aged 18 and 19, as well as the youngest aged 5 had been locked up with their mother since birth and had never seen sunlight or received any education, police said at a news conference on Sunday.

The case only came to light when the oldest child became seriously ill and was taken to hospital in Amstetten.

"A 19-year-old girl was dropped off at the Amstetten hospital last weekend," a police spokesman said. "The girl is seriously ill and is fighting for her life."

Doctors appealed the girl's mother, who at that time was believed to have disappeared, to come forward to provide more details about the daughter's medical history.

Josef then brought Elisabeth and her remaining two children out of the dungeon, telling his wife that their "missing" daughter had chosen to return home, police said.

After questioning and assurances that she would have no further contact with her father, Elisabeth agreed to make a "comprehensive statement,"" they added.

Rosemarie, as well as Elisabeth and her children were receiving psychological counseling.

DNA samples of all those involved were taken and would be analyzed, police added.

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KarilouMomof2 is a discussion leader for arizonamoms.com living in Tempe. Her daughters are 9 and 6.