Elisabeth Fritzl's resurgence: A life rebuilt after decades of captivity and abuse
Josef Fritzl, an 88-year-old Austrian, kept his daughter, Elisabeth, confined for over two decades in a soundproof basement beneath their residence while subjecting her to sexual abuse. He is currently serving a life sentence in Stein prison.
Recently, the District Court in Krems, located in northeast Austria, decided to ease the conditions of Josef Fritzl’s sentence. He was sentenced in March 2009 to serve his life term in a residential institution for mentally ill criminals. However, owing to the court's latest decision, he will now be relocated to a regular prison.
Her escape from the oppressor
Fritzl persuaded the rest of the family that Elisabeth had run away to join a sect. As the years passed, he raped his daughter repetitively, fathering seven children with her. Three of these children lived with him and his wife, Rosemarie, who appeared to them as foster parents.
In 2008, Fritzl's eldest daughter with Elisabeth, Kerstin, managed to escape the basement under the guise of needing medical aid. She successfully passed a note written by Elisabeth to healthcare professionals who then alerted the police.
She managed to rebuild her life
Elisabeth Fritzl, now 56, has managed to rebuild her life since her dramatic escape from her father’s cellar in 2008. Following the court hearings, Elisabeth and her children were granted new identities. She married her guardian, a security officer, who had offered her protection after the crimes had been exposed.
As reported by MailOnline, Josef Fritzl’s daughter now resides only a short half-hour drive away from the cellar where she was held captive and sexually assaulted countless times by her father.
Her current residence is a two-storey house nestled in a small village of just a few hundred inhabitants, roughly 29 kilometres from Amstetten, and in the vicinity of the infamous Mauthausen Nazi concentration camp.
As per journalist reports, the entrance to the house is monitored by security cameras that vigilantly survey anyone attempting to gain access.
The property boasts a meticulously maintained garden with a modest swimming pool and a two-car garage. The house is decorated with ceramic ornaments hanging on the walls.
Directly opposite the building lives Elisabeth's daughter, Kerstin. Villagers tend to be wary when discussing the family, but it's been noted that Elisabeth, now sporting long hair, recently attended a community dance. Occasionally, she treats herself to a meal at a local restaurant.
"Elisabeth and several of the older children still live here. You see them at community gatherings or at the local pub from time to time," one of the neighbours told reporters.
"Everyone is aware of their history, but it remains undiscussed. They have a fresh start and the locals respect that," another neighbour affirmed.
