Austria Cops Eye Bad Dad In 1986 Slaying

Police Look For Links Between Young Woman's Murder And Father Who Held Daughter Captive For 24 Years

(AP)  Police are looking into possible links between a young woman's killing and the man who confessed to holding his daughter captive for 24 years and fathering her seven children, a senior law enforcement official said Wednesday.

Alois Lissl, the chief of police of Upper Austria province, said that although no evidence had surfaced so far, police have widened their investigation into the unsolved murder 22 years ago to include the incest suspect.

The bound body of 17-year-old Martina Posch was found on a shore of the Upper Austrian lake of Mondsee in 1986. Josef Fritzl's wife owned part of an inn and camping ground on the other side of the lake at that time.

Fritzl would be asked for an alibi because the property owned by his wife could mean he was in the area when Posch was killed, Lissl said.

"We are looking at the case from a third angle," he said of the new direction the investigation has taken.

Fritzl, 73, confessed Monday to imprisoning his daughter Elisabeth for 24 years in a warren of soundproofed cellar rooms, sexually abusing her, fathering seven children with her and discarding the body of an one, who died in infancy, in a furnace.

On Tuesday, tests confirmed that the retired electrician is the biological father of his daughter's six surviving children.

Three of the children were locked in the underground labyrinth with their mother for years.

Officials said a teenager conceived through incest is in critical condition at an Austrian hospital where she remains in a medically-induced coma. The 19-year-old is on dialysis and her condition has somewhat stabilized, the officials said. It was an appeal by doctors, mystified by her ailment, that brought the family's situation to light. One of those children died in infancy. Doctors said the other five are doing relatively well. One of the challenges they apparently face is getting used to daylight.

The case started unfolding on April 19 when one of the children held captive was found unconscious and was taken to a hospital. After receiving a tip, police picked up Elisabeth and her father on Saturday. Fritzl freed the captive children the same day.

Authorities say Fritzl led his wife to believe that Elisabeth had run away to join a religious cult when she disappeared.

[abmitus]

Wow. This is some sick stuff dude!

[ahrats]

How many other missing childern in Austria are presently locked in basements by the parents. The Austrian authorities better start checking. This is not just one of a kind of person I''ll bet there are several more just like him. Giving the children to the grandparents of this guy is just as bad, who do you think raise this sicko.

[lambofgoth]

I wonder how long those "experts" went to school to figure that out...

[jetlizhan]

''he is really hit by this - he is very serious, but he is emotionally broken'' - yeah, because his power has been broken. he can no longer control his life and those in it. SOB!!!!!!!!!!!! i hope he gets his n.u.t.s. lopped off and is thrown in a dungeon for the rest of his miserable life.

[walker1209]

It is hard for me to understand how incredibly warped and sick some people can be!! For all the goodness that is in the hearts of some humans, it still amazes me how evil some people are.

I wonder if anyone in this man''s life thought or knew how sick he really is?? Just goes to show me that we never really know others are capable of.

[pantsparty69]

this dude is a messed up man. he needs to be castrated and have done to him what he has done for the rest of his remaining pathetic little life. this man deserves NO SYMPATHY at all. he should just be shot and thrown out.

[tfisforlove]

This is the sickest story I''ve heard in a very very very long time. I have no idea how like messed up in the head you have to be in order to do this to someone. Especially your daughter. I don''t think that 15 years is near enough time. He should be put on death row, and be killed very soon. And the sad thing is, from what he did to these people, the torture he put these people through.. what would you do with him?

[luxurytax-2009]

I CANT BELIEVE THAT HE REALLY HAD THE FREAKIN NERVE TO DO THIS TO HIS DAUGHTER AND GRANDKIDS/KIDS. HE IS ULTIMATELY CRAZY AND A SICKO.ITS NO WAY THAT HE CAN BE IN HIS RIGHT MIND.NO WAY.AND THERE IS NO WAY THAT THIS SHOULD HAVE GONE ON FOR SO MANY YEARS. IT WAS SOME KIND OF WAY FOR HER TO GET AWAY OR SHE COULD HAVE USED ONE OF HER KIDS TO BRING SOMEONE TO RESCUE THEM.ALTHOUGH I AM VERY GALD THAT THE SITTUATION DIDNT GO ANY FURTHER WITH HER HAVING ANYMORE KIDS BUT I CANT BELIEVE IT TOOK THIS LONG.aND I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW IN THE HELL DID HIS WIFE NOT KNOW THAT HE HAD THEM CAPTIVATED IN A BASEMENT FOR YEARS.AND IT IS NOW WAY POSSIBLE THAT HIS WIFE DIDNT KNOW ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON IF THEY WERE LIVING TOGETHER. IT STATES THAT HE HAD SELECT CHILDREN LIVING UPSTAIRSDEPENDING ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WERE CRY BABIES.

[gwagener]

Another thing that does not add up on this story is it says that DNA tests confirm that he fathered 7 children by his daughter, but one of the 7 was tossed in the furnace some years ago as an infant. How is it possible that they tested the DNA of that infant? I suspect the author cannot add and actually the 6 surviving children were fathered by Josef Fritzl.

[tinaleann-2009]

this is so grose, I cant amagine anyone doing such a terrible thing, and not to mention to his own flesh & blood.(discusting) and please the wife, come on! I think she new, how could she not?what about when the construction was going on? did she not see the new addition? where was she at, when all that was going on.it just sickins me the thought of how this husband & wife could need *** so bad that they hurt the people closest to them. I pray for there souls. it just goes to show , how we live in a fallen world.They need to pay for there actions.how can these children ever function in society.

[mace19662000]

This man needs to be stripped, and tied on up out in public for anyone to see. Then allow people to stop and do to him whatever they wish to do to him. Let him go thru some torture for a while, and then throw his body into a furnace.

[mahdeealoo]

Cut off his "member" so he can never use it again.
Put him in a place where he can''t stand up straight, without windows.
Lock the door.
Throw away the key.

Just 15 years is WAY to lenient for what he has done to this woman and her children, let alone his wife.

[tinaleann-2009]

there is just so much to say about this, something just isnt adding up!I dont understand where the wife thinks these 3 children came from, how were they registered? What about when the husband would disapear? Where did she think he was going? What about the access door to where they were kept?I know I would be curious of a odd door in my house that I couldnt go through!!!! how did he get food to them? What about if they got sick? What about buying personal items, pads, tampons???? Exta expences?Cries from the basement? Im sorry but none of this adds up!!! The wife had to know, she just had to!I think they both need to be convicted. If ya stop to think about it,the cries, the smells, the extra expences. This had to be a dual team!!what about the investigation of there missing daughter? I know if one of my children were missing I would stop at nothing to get them back!And lets just say maybe just maybe the wife didnt know, I think there would have been some kind of disturbing clues, of something strange going on, how in the world could you live with someone that long and not know, how stupid can you be.... She new, she was so totaly invoved!!!!!!!!CONVICT THEM BOTH.

[retmilspouse]

I have made this same comment on similar stories in the past involving this type of abuse on children...There is always a woman involved in letting some sicko man do this to her child. Now reading this story the mom of the captive woman is also being protected. Bull**** Where was the daughter delivering all these children of incest? She was at the hospital with her dad when they took the sick child in. At no point in time could she not give out a cry for help. And the mom is a sicko as well.

[retmilspouse]

Another thing that does not add up on this story is it says that DNA tests confirm that he fathered 7 children by his daughter, but one of the 7 was tossed in the furnace some years ago as an infant. How is it possible that they tested the DNA of that infant? I suspect the author cannot add and actually the 6 surviving children were fathered by Josef Fritzl.

Posted by gwagener at 10:30 AM : Apr 29, 2008

He confessed to fathering 7 children and throwing one dead one in the furance. No they did not DNA test that one. But if the other 6 tested positive for his DNA the poor dead child in the furnace would probably have to be his as well. Who else did she have relations with locked in the basement. The author of the article did the math correctly.

[b-easy63]

How many other missing childern in Austria are presently locked in basements by the parents. The Austrian authorities better start checking. This is not just one of a kind of person I''''ll bet there are several more just like him. Giving the children to the grandparents of this guy is just as bad, who do you think raise this sicko.

Posted by ahrats at 06:37 AM : Apr 29, 2008


The perp is 73, his "parents" are more than likely dead. You might want to re-read the article. What the man did was take his kids by his own daughter and raise some of them as if he was their grandfather. Given his hangups--I would not be surprised if they were subject to rapes etc also.

[unbirthday-2009]

How does 15 years MAXIMUM in prison even compare to being raped on a regular basis by YOUR FATHER for 24 years? Austria needs to rethink its penalty system.

[stevex47]

Lie detector test for the mom.

[antoniof123]

For those of you who don''t like the the maximum or what ever he receives. IT IS NOT YOUR COUNTRY AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LAWS SO STAY OUT OF IT.

[auntieconnie]

All I have to say is ,I know every inch of my house and there is no way in hell my husband could hide anyone for one day without me knowing it. Hell he had girly mags hide in his shop and I found them. We are talking about a person here. Yea she knew and went alone with it. She may have been abused her self but she knew.

[b-easy63]

"Officials had said Fritzl faces up to 15 years in prison if charged, tried and convicted on rape charges, the most grave of his alleged offenses under Austrian law."

Obviously, Austrian courts are not very creative. He should get 15 years for the rape, followed by whatever the most severe sentence is for kidnapping then followed by whatever the most severe sentence is for imprisonment and confinement X 4 (for the girl and each of the children). If they were thinking this through, the sentences would run consecutively and not concurrently and this monster would never, ever be freed. I suggest they now review all proposals to build secret rooms or basements and ensure they are just being used like normal people use them instead of holding long term/lifetime rape victims hostage.

[fabrat1]

antoniof123......actually we don''t have to stay out of it. There is that thing called freedom of speech you know. He''s a very sick man and the thought of him getting just 15 or 20 years for what he did is not near enough. He held her for 24 years so he should get no less than 24 years. Even if he did get 24 years he would still be in a better place than she was. There are windows in prison and others to talk to not to mention the radios and tv''s........

[love4all2]

For those of you who don''''t like the the maximum or what ever he receives. IT IS NOT YOUR COUNTRY AND THEY HAVE THEIR OWN LAWS SO STAY OUT OF IT.

antoniof123

you must not be from this country we believe we can speak what is on our minds and my feeling is this guy should hang for this. in any country people should ne outraged. they should have a public hanging.

[red1530]

antoniof123, If I find you criticizing the United States use of the death penalty, I will say the same thing.

[thelmaeby]

I AM SUPPRISED THAT THE DAUGHTER (MOTHER) BABIES SURVIVED BERTH ALTHOUTH ONE APARENTLY DIDN''T . THAT IS MURDER OR HOW CAN ANYONE TOSS A BABY INTO FURNANCE WITH OUT SOME KIND OF REMORSE?

[lewiston14]

As one poster pointed out its not or country and not our say. He would not last 10 minutes at supermax here but thats another story

[aarroyo02]

I can''t believe this story. Its horrific; I don''t believe the mother she knew what was going on in her own home, she should get charged with accessory. I hope the woman and children get chance at real life with no more pain and fear.

[i_hate_cbs1]

Several people have asked how they can test the DNA to know if the 7th kid was his. I''ve read in other stories that the 7th kid was one of a set of twins who died shortly after birth.

[wfbdem]

Bring this guy over here, and the republicans will elect him to the House of Representatives.

[bcbbkake]

Another thing that does not add up on this story is it says that DNA tests confirm that he fathered 7 children by his daughter, but one of the 7 was tossed in the furnace some years ago as an infant. How is it possible that they tested the DNA of that infant? I suspect the author cannot add and actually the 6 surviving children were fathered by Josef Fritzl.

Posted by gwagener at 10:30 AM : Apr 29, 2008

He confessed to fathering 7 children and throwing one dead one in the furance. No they did not DNA test that one. But if the other 6 tested positive for his DNA the poor dead child in the furnace would probably have to be his as well. Who else did she have relations with locked in the basement. The author of the article did the math correctly.

Posted by retmilspouse at 11:31 AM : Apr 29, 2008

Earlier articles indicated that the child who died was a TWIN. I know that nature can be strange, but the odds are that both twins had the same father.

[jetlizhan]

i must be missing something (duh) - it gave the ages of all the kids and two of them were 5 years old? how''s that, when the only set of twins mentioned, one lived and the other didn''t and he incinerated that one. have i read something wrong? help guys

[minnick8-2009]

HOW CAN ANYONE TOSS A BABY INTO FURNANCE WITH OUT SOME KIND OF REMORSE?

Joseph Fritzl, age 70 something, in Austria, homeland of Hitler. He could have been involved in throwing a number of people into a furnace without remorse, or had a father who was involved and bragged about it.

[minnick8-2009]

I can''t believe the wife of Fritzl had no idea what was going on either. She certainly turned a blind eye, she didn''t want to know.

I can''t believe that in horrific instances where there has been abuse, torture, murder, and on and on why anyone would object to capitol punishment. Why should taxpayers pay to keep slimebags alive? There was a case in this state back in about 1978 where to men went into a hifi shop and poured drano down the throats of victims in that store; they died of very painful poisoning. Those two creeps were put to death years ago. Now everyone in here who misses them, please raise your hand.

Hm, I thought not.

[erasmus81]

"Well a mob should hang him by his d--k and slowly bleed to death unside down. Cut it off." Posted by lauren0211 at 02:00 PM : Apr 29, 2008

I''m with you on this one.

[erasmus81]

The wife was either born without a brain or her husband was abusing her too.

[pfd572]

For all of you who called the daughter a liar and ''headline'' seeker, shame on you. Are you here today offering an apology? This is unbelievably horrible on so many levels. Not just the fact it was her father, but the conditions she and her children lived under would be horrific if the jailer/rapist was a stranger. The fact it was her own father just compounds the horror and the crimes. Its been written the father was a tyrant who dominated the mother and the ''upstairs'' children. Forbidding them access to certain areas of the home. She may not have been aware, or so psychologically abused she wasn''t able to understand or accept what was happening. The authorities appear to believe her and they have more information that we do, so lay off or you maybe be apologizing, again.

[minnick8-2009]

The wife was either born without a brain or her husband was abusing her too.

I''m certain the wife was also abused.

[pollroller1]

They should put this son-of-a-b away for the rest of his life. Stick him with some big ole burly guys that will give him a taste of his on medicine if y''all know what I mean. He has completely ruined this poor girls life. Just thinking about this creep makes my blood pressure go up.

[dmotte]

Like the old saying, the closer the kin the deeper in.

[blackyowe]

This is a real weird case. I think the mother knew.

[edward1975-2009]

Just when you think that people can sink no lower, you open the paper and find they can. Where has sanity gone. Where have morals and a sense of right and wrong disappeared to. This animal deserves to have his right to stay on the planet card taken away.

[marfly2008]

How can he only get 15 years when his daughter was inprisoned for 24 years? and that doesn''t include how how long he has molested her.....he doesn''t deserve to live.... he took away the rights and freedom of at least four people! he doesn''t deserve the right to life.

[tinaleann-2009]

ya know I must say, this has just been bothering me all day. I feel so sorry for the daughter, her & I are so close in age, she has been robbed of so many things, at the hands of these people, her own parents.all the things that a young girl expierences for the first time, friends, school, boyfriends, I dout that she will ever be able to have a normal relationship. In her mind what is normal????a discusting father thats crawls into bed with her, poor thing.maybe her father needs to be made an exmple of..... for all the other creeps out there.15 years is no where near enough, its just not.her life has been a total lie.

[love4all2]

TomFlint69
this man should be executed on the spot. what a horrible little pervert he is. he is not metally sick he is just pure evil and we used to have the electric chair but the country decided it cruel and unusual punishment so now we get them super high and they go to sleep and it is all over with
I persoanlly believe if we had public hangings that would some idiots to think about what they do prior to the act

[centexgirl]

There are some people in this world that are just pure evil. All you have to do is look at this man''s eyes, and he is definitely evil. So sad what the woman and those children went through.

[cathyrom]

"Three of the children lived with the grandparents. Fritzl and his wife registered those children with authorities, saying that they had found them outside their home in 1993, 1994 and 1997." Doesn''t anyone else think that it''d look odd to have THE SAME COUPLE "find" a child 3 times in 4 years? Or does that just happen all the time in that town? I guarantee that would attract attention here.

[curious51]

Why is there even a question about charging this monster with murder? He admitted "throwing the deceased child" in a furnace! It'' because of his "sexual stinginess" that this baby even died!
Negligent Homicide!

[terribayless-2009]

I am sure 15 years will work just fine. He won''t live long once inmates know why he is there - no matter the sentence.

[researcher11]

I wonder what the maximum penalty is in Austria for a 15 minute "quickie" with a 10 year old?? Perhaps a $5.00 fine and 48 hour probation?

[guest173]

that kidnapping of decades needs to be addressed, yes the raping is also very very serious, I agree that the penalties so far seem way too light for what he has done to his daughter day after day year after year and her children