House of Horrors

by Nigel Cawthorne

  While Stefan and Felix knew they had brothers and sisters above ground, they were still afraid of strangers. On the other hand, the upstairs children had known nothing of those in the dungeon, but they coped better because they had benefitted schooling and social interaction.

  During the reunion, Dr Kepplinger said, it was clear that the vocabulary of the downstairs children was very limited. They stumbled and searched for words. Elisabeth had done her best, but with no social intercourse beyond Fritzl and their fellow captives in the airless cellar, there were few opportunities to develop language skills. ‘Their mother taught them some reading and writing,’ said Dr Kepplinger, ‘although Elisabeth herself lost much of her childhood knowledge because of the years of sexual abuse that began when she was 11, and her imprisonment from the age of 18. And there were no books in the dungeon. The main source of education, over the years, has been the television.’

  This left them intellectually stunted, though Dr Kepplinger said Stefan could read and write in a ‘reduced form’. He also said Elisabeth had spoken ‘quite a lot’ about what she went through in captivity, but he would not provide details. ‘It was definitely dreadful for her and for her children,’ he said.

  While Stefan and Felix were not as articulate as Lisa, Monika and Alexander, it was said that ‘they were able to express themselves’.

  Despite the communication problems, the meeting between the two sides of the family was a success, though stressful for all concerned. ‘As you can imagine, they were all very distressed and extremely worried about meeting each other for the first time. However, the family came together naturally,’ said Dr Kepplinger. ‘The one who seemed most distressed was Felix. He’d jump and start at the slightest disturbance and held on to his mother the whole time. It is not surprising he was so scared. Now the novelty of being free from the cellar has worn off, he needs some peace. After all, in his whole life he had only ever seen four other people.’

  Although five-year-old Felix was said to have clung nervously to his mother’s legs, terrified, doctors say that, because of his age, he has the best chance of being integrated into society and living a relatively normal life. For the moment, though, Felix crawled rather than walked and squeaked with excitement when confronted with anything new.

  Although things seemed to be going well on all sides at the outset, psychologists warned there were still massive psychological hurdles to overcome. And there were other precedents available to guide and inform some of the treatment now being administered. Cases such as the Fritzls’ are not outside the scope of psychological literature, especially in Germany. The Fritzl cellar-children have been compared to the early 19th-century case of Kaspar Hauser, a feral child who suddenly appeared in the German city of Nuremberg in 1812 at the age of 16, claiming to have spent the whole of his life locked away. Nowadays, ‘Kaspar Hauser’ syndrome is a recognised psychiatric term for those suffering social isolation.

  But the priority currently for the entire family is to assess each individual’s needs and to make the transition from former to current living conditions as painless as possible. ‘We are looking after all of them with a large team of child and adult psychologists, therapists, neurologists, speech therapists and physiotherapists,’ Dr Kepplinger said. ‘Each of the patients is traumatised in a different way and we are giving them individual therapy.’

  In the meantime, there were numerous medical problems to sort out. Kerstin, Elisabeth, Stefan and Felix all had badly decayed teeth. They had never seen a dentist, so this was a priority. There was, of course, the possibility that Felix could develop a proper set of adult teeth. To do that, the effects of his vitamin D deficiency would have to be reversed. While this can be boosted medically, the root of the problem will only be overcome once he has developed a tolerance for sunlight; the exposure of his skin to its UV rays will begin his body’s own production of the missing vitamin.

  Vitamin D deficiency will have contributed to Felix’s walking difficulties as well. It seems as if his joints have not developed properly. He is also known to suffer breathing difficulties and spasms, which would have the same cause. Lack of vitamin D would have retarded his growth too.

  This deficiency in vitamin D would also have been a factor in Elisabeth and Stefan’s stooped posture as it leaves bones deformed and softened. Stefan was also tested to see if his sight and hearing have been permanently impaired by 18 years of confinement, and all three were anaemic.

  The cellar family have to be monitored closely for other conditions, as there is some evidence to suggest that vitamin D may help to prevent diseases such as cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis and heart disease.

  It also seems that the two boys may have defective immune systems. This is not surprising as the development of a healthy immune system does depend to some extent on the body being constantly challenged by new infections and allergens. A childhood spent in virtual isolation in an enclosed, unchanging environment would prevent this from happening.

  Professor Robert Gaspar, a specialist in paediatric immunology at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, said the information released by the Austrian authorities did not reveal much about the precise nature of the immune problem and the true extent of this would become clear over the coming months. ‘A healthy immune system isn’t just created by nature,’ he said, ‘but also by the environment that a child lives in – there could be a lack of exposure to the normal repertoire of challenges that other children would face.’

  He suggested the children’s immune system might also be compromised in some way by lack of vitamin D, which plays a key role in enabling immune cells to clear the body of potentially harmful debris and infection. If their immune systems are permanently damaged by their captivity, then they could face a lifetime of increased vulnerability to a range of infections and illnesses. In any case, they will have to have all the inoculations that other children are given as they are growing up.

  Naturally, the children reared above ground suffer none of these problems. They were brought up on fresh milk and were used to playing in the garden. However, Lisa has a heart problem that may derive from the genetic composition of her parentage. Monika, too, may suffer a milder form of the same congenital condition, for the same reasons. Otherwise, the upstairs siblings were reported to be healthy. Despite the abnormal circumstances of their birth, they were brought up to enjoy a relatively normal life. All six of Elisabeth’s surviving children fathered by Fritzl seem to have escaped the worst of the genetic defects caused by inbreeding.

  Quite apart from the social stigma associated with incestuous relationships, there are good biological reasons why they are to be avoided. If a family harbours a genetic defect, there is an increased risk that a child of an incestuous relationship could inherit two, rather than one copy of the defective gene, making a health problem inevitable. This could be the cause of Kerstin’s epilepsy as well as Lisa’s heart problem. However, there is little or no data about the precise nature of the threat of genetic abnormality caused by incestuous relationships between father and daughter because when such things occur, people usually keep quiet about it. Scientists estimate that the risk of defects is roughly doubled in first-cousin marriages, so the risk in a father-daughter relationship would be considerably higher.

  While the upstairs children were relatively privileged, they may also have suffered psychological damage, too. Twelve-year-old Alexander, particularly, has to cope with the fact that he had a twin brother that he had not been told about, and that his twin, now named Michael, died three days after childbirth due to the neglect of the man whom Alexander first thought of as his father, then his grandfather – and he now knows is both his father and grandfather. His dead brother was then burnt in the household incinerator by the man who was supposed to be protecting and nurturing his family.

  According to a hospital spokesman, there are problems all round. ‘All sides have had a lot to come to terms with,’ he said. ‘The above-ground children have to accept that, two floo
rs below, members of their family were hidden away – and their grandfather is also their father. The stories they were raised with – that the mother had joined a bizarre sect and abandoned them at birth – have also been exposed as lies, and that, in fact, she had been imprisoned in the cellar for 24 years.’

  Another psychologist tried to sum up the scale of the family’s suffering. ‘How do you greet your brother who you didn’t even know existed, and who you have just learned has spent his whole life until now imprisoned in a dark dungeon, only two floors below your own bedroom, locked up by your grandfather, who, you discover, is also your father? And how do you greet your mother, who you’ve always been told had fallen into the arms of a devilish sect and given up her children when they were still babies, but who you learn also had to vegetate in the cellar for 24 years?’

  The upstairs children are also likely to suffer from ‘survivor’s syndrome’, like Holocaust survivors who feel guilty for remaining alive when so many others perished. Their bunker siblings suffered while they were picked by their father, for some arbitrary reason, to live their life in daylight. They will also have to get used to the idea that their mother had not abandoned them – a falsehood they had found it hard to come to terms with not so long before – but had, in fact, been suffering her own terrible ordeal, only metres beneath their feet.

  Psychologists asked to comment on the case were almost unanimous in their view that the ordeal suffered by Elisabeth, Kerstin, Stefan and Felix would mark them indefinitely. ‘The four will never be able to live normal lives. I am afraid it is too late for that,’ Bernd Prosser, a clinical psychologist, told Austrian television.

  However, those closer to the family see cause for hope following the ‘astonishing success’ of the meeting of the two sides of the family. ‘The reunion went incredibly well,’ said Dr Kepplinger. ‘They got along very well and it was far more successful than anticipated. It was astonishing how the grandmother and Elisabeth immediately came together; it was a very emotional scene.’

  It was therapy in itself. ‘It was astonishing how easy it was,’ said Dr Kepplinger. ‘This will help their recovery and we’ll try to ensure they stay together from now on.’

  The clinic set aside a space of around 80 square metres (860 square feet). It was reserved as a living area for Elisabeth, Stefan, Felix, Lisa, Monika and Alexander – along with grandmother Rosemarie – who were to spend time there together while they got to know each other.

  ‘The family is pleased with the surroundings, but it’s going to take a long time to re-introduce them to some kind of a normal life,’ said Dr Kepplinger.

  While the cellar family were still kept in a relatively confined space, they were allowed to stretch their legs. Later, they would be permitted to walk further afield under supervision. ‘In the clinic area, the children can shout, play and will eventually get to know their siblings from outside of the cellar,’ said Dr Kepplinger. ‘They can be themselves here, undisturbed by anyone. The young people have space to play, they can run around.’

  It seemed to be working. ‘The members of the family talk a lot,’ he said. ‘They are very happy to be together. They enjoy the food especially. The kids are playing, jumping about, moving around as they wish; they’ve got their toys with them and there are people there for them round the clock.’

  Kepplinger said Felix was the liveliest, but he was also very clingy, never letting his mother out of his sight. However, he was soon making remarkable progress and, within a few days, found he could make friends. ‘We are proud Felix trusts us more and more,’ said Chief Inspector Etz, a regular visitor. ‘We are almost friends already.’

  Sadly, the police had to visit repeatedly to debrief the victims. ‘It makes us extremely sad to hear more and more of what the boy had to endure,’ said Etz. ‘So far, we have met him a couple of times. He was always happy about seeing us again and waves and smiles … He is full of joy and excitement, he slaps the air with his hand when he can’t control his excitement.’

  On 31 April, hospital staff put on a party for Alexander’s 12th birthday – and that of his twin brother Michael, whose body Fritzl had incinerated. ‘They were delighted with it and thoroughly enjoyed the cake,’ the staff said. No one missed the presence of the father of the two respective families who had, fortunately, been detained elsewhere.

  No matter how well things seemed to be going, doctors say the road to recovery could take years. Elisabeth and her six siblings were receiving legal advice as they tried to comprehend how they were deceived and maltreated for 24 years by their tyrannical father. It is possible they may seek compensation, though loans made to their father have been called in and he is now bankrupt. Meanwhile, the clinic did everything it could to keep the family well away from the media pack that had descended on Amstetten.

  11

  THE MONSTER SPEAKS

  While the Fritzl family were beginning their recovery in the Mauer clinic, their tormentor was on suicide watch in prison. He had been remanded in custody in jail in St Pölten, the provincial capital of Lower Austria, while being investigated for alleged rape, incest, kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, cruelty, coercion, enslavement and murder.

  After the remand hearing, prosecutor Gerhard Sedlacek said, ‘He’s completely calm, completely without emotion.’

  But Fritzl’s defence lawyer, Dr Rudolf Mayer, one of the best-known advocates in Austria, painted a different picture. Fritzl, he said, was distraught. ‘He’s really hit by this,’ said Mayer. ‘He is a shattered and ruined man. He is emotionally broken.’

  While Fritzl has confessed to fathering seven children by Elisabeth, Mayer remained adamant. ‘The allegations of rape and enslaving people have not been proved,’ he said. ‘We need to reassess the confessions made so far.’

  On 8 May 2008, Rudolf Mayer released a statement on behalf of his client. It was the confession that Fritzl had made to the Austrian prosecutors and was passed to the media at his request. Although the man was plainly trying to explain – if not excuse – his monstrous behaviour, it gives a glimpse into the dark impulses that drove his actions.

  ‘I grew up in a poor family,’ said Fritzl. ‘My father was a no-good scoundrel who always cheated on her and my mother threw him out of the house when I was four – and she was quite right to do so. After that, it was only the two of us.

  ‘My mama was a strong woman. She taught me discipline, order and diligence. She enabled me to get a good education and job training and she constantly worked hard and would take difficult jobs only to support the both of us.

  ‘She was as strict as it was necessary. She was the best woman in the world. And I was her husband, in some way. She was the boss at home, but I was the only man in the house.’

  This begged an obvious question – was there anything sexual about the relationship between Fritzl and his mother? When he was asked whether he had been sexually abused by his mother, he said, ‘No, never. My mother was decent, most decent. I loved her over everything. I have admired her. I admired her very much. But I have naturally not done anything. There was nothing there.’

  Asked whether he had sexual fantasies about his mother, he said, ‘Yes, probably, but I was strong, almost as strong as my mother, and I have therefore managed to suppress my urges.’

  Otherwise, as a young man, he insisted that his sex life was perfectly normal. ‘Later, I got older and I started going out and I had several amorous affairs. And then I found Rosemarie. She had nothing in common with my mother, but, however, there were some similarities. She was also wonderful, but wonderful in a different way. She was much more shy and weaker than my mother.’

  Speaking of his family, he said, ‘I always wanted to have many children. Not children that would have to, like I had, grow up alone, but children that would always have someone to play with. I had a dream about a large family ever since I was a little boy. And Rosemarie appeared to be a suitable mother. That motive [for marrying her] was not a bad one. And it is true: I always loved
her and I will always love her.’

  The prosecutors then asked what happened when he raped a woman in 1967. He replied, ‘I don’t know what came into me. But this is also true: I always wanted to be a good husband and father.’

  It was then that he began to blame his crimes on his Nazi past. ‘I admit I have always valued decency and good behaviour,’ he said. ‘I grew up in the Nazi era and strictness and discipline were very important then. I have probably subconsciously picked up some of that, which is only normal, but I am not the beast the media make me out to be.’

  When asked what he would think of a man like himself, he admitted, ‘Seen from the outside, I would probably think he was a beast or a monster.’

  He also rejected the allegation made by his daughter that he started abusing her when she was 11. ‘That is not true,’ he said. ‘I am not a man who would molest children. It only started later, much later, when she was already down below.’

  He admitted that he began planning the imprisonment of his daughter a long time before he lured her into the cellar. ‘It was approximately two, three years before,’ he said. ‘It must have been 1981 or 1982 when I started to turn a room in my cellar into a cell.’

  The police now think that it was 1977 or 1978, soon after Elisabeth said he started to sexually abuse her.

  ‘I brought in a heavy door of steel and concrete and equipped it with a remote-controlled electrical motor, which would open it only after a numeric code was entered,’ Fritzl continued. ‘I isolated the whole bunker to become soundproof. I installed a washbasin, a toilet, a bed, a cooker and a refrigerator. Electricity and light were already installed.

  ‘Perhaps someone noticed the construction works, but it would have not made any difference whether they did or not. The cellar of my house belonged to me and to me alone … it was my kingdom to which only I had access. Everyone who lived there knew that – my wife, my children, my lodgers – and no one would have dared to enter my realm or even to ask me what I was doing there … I told everyone that my office was there, full of private files that were my business alone and that was enough – everyone adhered to my rules.’