Kidnapped Girl Fled During Phone Call

(AP)  It was just another order by the man who enslaved her for eight years, this time to vacuum his car. But Natascha Kampusch glimpsed a tiny window of opportunity — then bolted to freedom while her abductor was busy with a cell phone call.

Friday's police description of Kampusch's last moments in captivity added another tiny piece of the puzzle in Austria's most celebrated criminal case in recent memory, which began with the mysterious 1998 disappearance of a 10-year-old girl from an outlying Vienna district.

Police also said that DNA samples had confirmed what Kampusch's parents had already known in their first tearful moments of reunion Wednesday — the pale, thin young woman facing them was their daughter who went missing eight years ago.

She had been given up for dead until she resurfaced Wednesday, frantically asking for help at the door of a neighbor of her captor.

"We were only looking for a corpse," Interior Minister Liese Prokop acknowledged to reporters in Vienna on Friday.

Since her reappearance, police have cobbled together a basic picture of what must have happened to her. She was snatched while on her way to school by a man identified by police as Wolfgang Priklopil, kept confined or at close quarters by her abductor and managed to flee when he dropped his guard.

While Kampusch has been sequestered from media, some papers claimed to have been able to talk to her Friday.

Reportedly describing her abduction, she was cited as saying by the mass-circulation Kronen Zeitung tabloid: "He dragged me into his car and said, 'Stay quiet lie down, or something bad will happen to you.'"

The daily also said she "slept well" during her first night in freedom and described her breakfast, shared with police — croissants, orange juice, salty rolls, butter, chocolate spread, marmalade and muesli.

But with Kampusch at an undisclosed location for careful police and psychologist questioning and her relatives refusing to talk to the media after initial outburst of joyful interviews, many more questions remained to be answered about what happened — and why — to the girl who grew to womanhood in a tiny windowless basement lockup.

Erich Zwettler, the head of Austria's federal police, told reporters that the woman escaped in an unguarded moment while her abductor stepped away from her to talk on his cell phone so that he could hear better while she was vacuuming his car. Police originally had said she had escaped when a small metal trap door of her underground cell was left open.

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[smash123bash]

Dejan who? Simple thoughts, simple minds. She admires and quotes a talking *** like Michael Moore? Wow, now who would have guessed!

[fartnocker2]

The press and world should leave her alone .But sick folks want to here everything .

[tyler1978]

This poor girl spent 8 yrs of hell and all you people can do is point fingers at cultures and blame everyone else, like your country's *** dont stink.Wake Up and smell what your shovelin!!! Its every where and its personal decisions. Not cultural influence.

[oklawings]

What I'm reading is people trying to make sanity out of insanity. This man was crazed, and there are crazed people in every corner of the world, we are all part of the same world, How could this become a discussion of which part of the world should claim responsibility for him. We would better spend our energy by discussing how we can protect our children all over the world. This is truly all of our responsibility.

[flgirl14]

How does a tragedy of kidnap and tourture turn into some sort of p..ing contest over countries of origin. Grow up people. We all live in one world with sane AND crazy people. The zipcode doesn't matter all that much.

[dejan1111]

To all the rest:
This is my first appearance on CBC News coment and I am confused about such a mess I made.I am sorry if I hurt someone's nationality.That really was not my intention.I love Amrica.I reallly do.I adore Andy Warhol,I just love Gregory Peck.My grand-grand father accomplice Ernest Hemingway in spanish civil war.In my living room I have a picture of two of them.But nowdays Amrica is not a representative what mayor europians keeps in their mind.Cultorogically,America is in agony,with only few who fight against death.I will mention only Langston Hughes and his recent poem Let America.Anyone who want to read can find it on the web.In one rhyme he says:Let my country to be what it was...

[dejan1111]

To iseekforhim:
You're onlu one I can agree with.There is no excuse for acting like this.I dont even try to find some excuse for this monstrum.I just talk about cultural diferences and what it could bring.According to all crime expert,the crime metre is biggest in US.I thought you all knew this...

[dejan1111]

To jnwmidtex:
Dont be confused!You understand well what you learned of history.You just mixed a subects.We talk about a crime,not politics.You could say that Slobodan Milosevic comes from Europe too,and you would be right,with no doubt.But I'll tell you the truth - major attitude here in Europe is that thee isn't such a diferences between Slobodan Milosevic and George W.Bush.So you were right,but you were in wrong place.

[ghoward41]

Did I miss something. This happened in Austria, how did America get brought into this?

Are you saying that somehow this is America's fault? Get a clue! Clean your own house before you start blaming others!

[iseekforhim]

to dejan1111:

Europeans like Americans, like each individual on this earth, we are each responsible for our own actions. To blame having been influenced, is irresponsible. Dutroux, was beaten by his parents as a child. That was an influence, but not an excuse. Dutroux is responsible for choosing his "inspirations".

DEJAN1111: Put a cap on it. See each individual for whom he or she is, not prejudiced on nationality.