Woman held captive by her father for 24 years...
By eden32
@eden32 (3973)
United States
April 29, 2008 9:57am CST
Here's a link to one of the news articles if you haven't seen them yet. How could this possibly happen? How could the others living in the house not know that a person was being held prisoner in their home's basement?
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080429/ap_on_re_eu/austria_captive_daughter;_ylt=ApWknHx2U2l2fYkf0pZ.h.MDW7oF
3 people like this
7 responses
@chicospagal (180)
• United States
29 Apr 08
That is atrocious. What on earth possessed him to do such a thing? What I don't understand is it says the 19 year old was unconcious and gravely ill on April 19 in the building." How did that happen!? Did she escape? The article totally grazes over a very important piece of the story, I think! It's a sick, sick world we live in. This only further comfirms it.
@chicospagal (180)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I got the answer to my question when I found a CNN video. She was sick and he took her to a hospital, claiming she was found on his doorstep. Hmmm, leseee here...3 babies and now a grown woman left on his doorstep. Yeah, sure! That could happen (dripping with sarcasm). Unbelievable!
1 person likes this
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
29 Apr 08
Well the children he claimed were left on the doorstep by the daughter who everyone believed ran-away to join a cult. I imagine he probably forced her to write letters to that effect with each of the children.
They've also mentioned a similar case that happened a few years back, a woman who was held captive for 8 years. It's just awful to think that this has ever happened to anyone, and there could be others out there in similar situations with no way of getting help.
@bojangles88 (649)
•
29 Apr 08
I know it's sick isn't it. one thing's bugging me with the news articles on it though - is how they seem to be swallowing the wife's claims of not knowing!! WHAT?! How can a woman and several children live below you for 24 years and you simply not know about it?? And the 3 children she did know about - she just thought had been disposited on the doorstep in the night... hmm.
The poor woman though, and those kids... How are they going to recover, especially those that have only just seen the light of day. And how are they going to live their lives with their dad as their grandad etc. I just hope that the woman will be able to get through this with psychological help, and hope that the effects aren't going to be permanent. I can't even begin to imagine how something like that must effect your sanity.
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I would think the effects especially on the children are going to be carried through their lives. Perhaps the youngest one, I believe it said he was 5 can acclimate to a normal life easily enough. But the older children (14 & 19 I think) how are they ever going to adapt?
I wonder if pictures of the home will be shown in upcoming articles. I can't imagine how a person could create the set-up without their wife or neighbor noticing. I own a two family home that has both an attic & a basement. It happens my laundry room is in the basement & I am in that almost daily.Now I almost never go in the attic, I suppose someone could hide someone in it for a few weeks without me noticing (assuming it was sound proofed) but I don't see how it could be pulled off for a year much less 24.
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
29 Apr 08
I want to know where she thought all the babies her husband was bringing home(or from the basement)were coming from? How could she not know? There will be a full investigation now and the truth will come out, but it does seem highly unlikely the woman had no idea. Maybe the man was a menace and she was afraid of him and just did whatever he told her.
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
29 Apr 08
If they did resemble the father, it wouldn't be too suspicious since the wife knew the children were her daughter's children. It's not uncommon for a child to look like their grandfather. According to the articles I have read the father was arranging for it to appear that their daughter left each child on the doorstep. The family has involved with social services because of the children being left on the doorstep & they never suspected anything either.
@chicospagal (180)
• United States
30 Apr 08
Thanks Eden, yes I did miss that part that the babies came with a note. How thoughtful. My heart breaks for these kids. And the wife. And honestly, the sick SOB who did this.
@chicospagal (180)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I agree, nacyrowina! "oh, they were just left on the doorstep." Does she not know where babies come from! Does she really think a STORK just dropped 'em off!? I'm thinking this woman was in some hard core denial. She probbaly got a little "off" mentallly when she thought her daughter ran off with a cult. Besides, wouldn't those babies slightly RESEMBLE their DADDY!?
@sunkissed (4330)
• United States
29 Apr 08
This man is very sick. He should be hanged. And what about his wife, she had to know something was going on in that basement. Did she not even ask where he was getting these children from? Did they not look like their family?
@eden32 (3973)
• United States
29 Apr 08
I think people have missed that in the article. She knew the children were her daughter's children. Believing the daughter was living in some cult, the story he created for the appearance of each of these children was that she dropped the child on the doorstep because she couldn't care for them or perhaps didn't want to raise them in this cult. I assume he probably made his daughter write letters to that effect to support the story.
@busta1baby (1230)
• United States
29 Apr 08
i read bout this in the newspaper the other day..i couldnt belive this...her own father...wow...i dnt know y he woulda done such a horrible thing like this to his own kid
1 person likes this
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
30 Apr 08
I think that this man's wife is somewhat careless as not to pay attention to her husband's weird behaviour all through the 24 years. If she had been more careful, this would have been prevented from happening many years earlier. I feel very sorry for the daughter together with their common kids. I am glad that they have been liberated from the basement storeroom without having to suffer any longer in the dark world down there in the basement. Bless her with the kids.
