After spending nearly two decades locked in a basement, Stefan Fritzl walked with a permanent stoop and suffered from several ailments caused by a lack of vitamin D because he had never seen the Sun.
SID Lower Austria / Getty ImagesStefan Fritzl drop the first 18 years of his life sentence imprisoned in the root cellar of this home plate at Ybbsstrasse 40 in Amstetten , Austria .
Stefan Fritzl was born into a nightmare . His universe had no sunlight and no gamey sky . In fact , his universe was composed of a bantam basement donjon where his sadistic grandfather , Josef Fritzl , had imprisoned his female parent , Elisabeth Fritzl , to make her into his sex striver .
For 18 class , Stefan was a prisoner in the cellar alongside Elisabeth and his two siblings , Kerstin and Felix . He learned to sing by watching television and had to walk with a stoep once he mature taller than the cellar ceiling .
SID Lower Austria/Getty ImagesStefan Fritzl spent the first 18 years of his life imprisoned in the cellar of this home at Ybbsstrasse 40 in Amstetten, Austria.
However , in 2008 , everything changed when Kerstin fell ill . Stefan and his family were capable to turn tail , and the teenager at long last go out the Sun for the first clock time in his life .
This is the story of Stefan Fritzl , from his torturous beginnings to his adjustment to the outside macrocosm .
How Stefan Fritzl Was Born Into A Nightmare
By the fourth dimension Stefan Fritzl was born on Feb. 1 , 1990 , his motherElisabethhad been his grandfatherJosef’scaptive for six year .
60 transactions Australia / YouTubeElisabeth Fritzl was just 18 when her male parent made her his captive and subsequently rape her at least 3,000 times .
Josef — who had maltreat Elisabeth since she was 11 years old — lured her down to the basement prison he had designed beneath their habitation in 1984 when Elisabeth was 18 . He knocked her out , tied her to the bed , and begin to consistently violation and mistreat her . Josef beat her , withheld solid food to break her will , and force her to reenact scenes from violent adult films .
60 Minutes Australia/YouTubeElisabeth Fritzl was just 18 when her father made her his captive and subsequently raped her at least 3,000 times.
In 1986 , Elisabeth got pregnant and miscarried at 10 hebdomad . In 1987 , she got pregnant again , and she afford parturition to her daughterKerstinin August 1988 . Then , in February 1990 , Stefan Fritzl was born .
Kerstin and Stefan ’s births were torturous affairs . Josef only render his daughter pair of scissors ( to shorten the umbilical electric cord ) , a cover , and some diapers . When Kerstin was born , he did not even correspond on Elisabeth for 10 days .
Police NiederoesterreichJosef Fritzl after his stop in 2008 . He recoup food or exclude off the light source whenever he was angry with Elisabeth or her children .
Police NiederoesterreichJosef Fritzl after his arrest in 2008. He withheld food or shut off the lights whenever he was angry with Elisabeth or her children.
“ The deliveries took place in a polluted atmosphere without a source of unused air and no heating or blistering weewee , ” an bill of indictment later explained .
As Stefan Fritzl grew up , he did so alone underground .
Stefan Fritzl’s Life In The Cellar
After Stefan ’s nativity , Elisabeth Fritzl had five more child : Lisa in August 1992,Monikain February 1994 , twins Alexander and Michael in April 1996 , and Felix in 2002 .
However , Michael did not live long . Josef Fritzl refused to get the infant medical help , say Elisabeth , “ What will be , will be , ” and later burn his body in an incinerator . He also brought Lisa , Monika , and Alexander out of the cellar and into the home up the stairs that he share with his married woman , Elisabeth ’s mother . Josef , who had always claimed that Elisabeth had run off to conjoin a cult , pretended that she had sent the children to be bring up by their grandparents .
SID Lower Austria / Getty ImagesA search inside the cellar where Josef held Stefan Fritzl , his mother , and his siblings .
SID Lower Austria/Getty ImagesA look inside the cellar where Josef held Stefan Fritzl, his mother, and his siblings.
The truth was that the cellar — though Joseph expand it by 400 square feet in 1994 — was too little for all the child .
As such , Stefan Fritzl spent most of his childhood with only Elisabeth and Kerstin for troupe ( Felix was n’t born until Stefan was 12 ) . Though Josef made life for them hellish , beating them and sometimes cutting off electricity or withholding solid food when he was furious , Elisabeth did her good to create happy times for her children . She educated them , sang them lullabies , wrap up the walls with epitome of flowers , stars , and animals , and stave off boredom by craft theoretical account out of composition board or making up fantasy stories .
When Felix was brook in 2002 — Josef allow him in the wine cellar , purportedly because he thought his wife could not handle another youngster — Stefan also drew close to his younger brother .
YouTubeA diagram of the cellar where Stefan Fritzl spent the first 18 years of his life.
But despite Elisabeth ’s best exploit , Stefan Fritzl and his siblings were still exist as captives . Without vulnerability to sunlight , they grew pale and lose most of their teeth . They lived in a infinite with ceilings that rose just five feet six inches , had little spacial awareness , and were extremely sensitive to light .
YouTubeA diagram of the cellar where Stefan Fritzl spent the first 18 year of his life .
Kerstin , for her part , react to captivity by having fits , tearing up her wearable , and stuffing the shreds in the toilet .
Public DomainJosef Fritzl will likely spend the rest of his life in prison.
Then , in 2008 , she started start out very sick of .
How The Boy In The Cellar Escaped And Adjusted To ‘Heaven’
In April 2008 , Kerstin ’s health take a routine for the worse — and , incredibly , Josef agree to Elisabeth ’s plea to let her go to the infirmary . Before she went , Elisabeth slipped a note in Kerstin ’s pocket : “ Please , please help her . Kerstin is really terrified of other people . She was never in a hospital . ”
The note and Kerstin ’s precarious health rouse the distrust of medico . They insisted on speak to Kerstin ’s mother and alerted the constabulary . And once Elisabeth was alone with the potency , she say them precisely what had been happening in the basement of Ybbsstrasse 40 for the preceding two decades .
Josef Fritzl was arrest ; Stefan Fritzl and Felix Fritzl were retrieve from their prison beneath the Fritzl home .
wisdom/Wikimedia CommonsReporters outside of the Fritzl home.
Public DomainJosef Fritzl will in all probability drop the remainder of his life story in prison house .
When Stefan and Felix come out , they think they were in “ Heaven , ” allot to a 2008 article inThe Guardian , because Elisabeth had told them , “ Heaven is up there . ” Encountering unknown for the first fourth dimension in their life story , they stared “ wide - eyed and undetermined - mouthed ” at the police officer .
The boys were both in poor health — pallid , stooped , anemic — and they had some trouble communicating . According toThe Guardian , they had a linguistic process they used with each other that consist of “ mumble and grunts , ” but it took more sweat for them to speak with others .
“ When they want to pronounce themselves they do seek to speak so that others can understand them , ” Leopold Etz , the chief inspector of the regional police in Lower Austria , explained . “ But it ’s clear it call for them an immense amount of effort to do so . ”
sapience / Wikimedia CommonsReporters outside of the Fritzl home .
They had weak resistant systems , bones , and muscles . They had to develop a tolerance for sunshine , give spatial awareness , and get to know their three other sib . The “ downstairs ” kid were traumatized ; the “ upstair ” children , who had live on fairly normal life , were wracked with guilt .
When Stefan first saw the Moon , he poke at his brother and “ whispered with pleasure . ” He even wrote a message to his admirer outside of the hospital , saying , “ I ’m happy about exemption and my family . I wish the Sun , the fresh melodic phrase , and nature , ” as report by theIndependentin 2008 . tardily but surely , Stefan Fritzl began to adjust to normal life .
Where Is Stefan Fritzl Today?
Today , Josef Fritzl is in prison . But Elisabeth Fritzl and her nestling are innocent to live their lives .
Where is the Fritzl family now ? Their precise location is unknown . They ’ve relocated to a hamlet have it away only as “ Village X. ” There , they have concealment as well as memory access to healer , doctors , and protection services . In fact , Elisabeth fell in erotic love and married her escort , Thomas Wagner .
Stefan Fritzl — and his sib — are living private life , and not much more is known about them . After 18 traumatic days , he sure has plenty of healing to do . And his fresh neighbors are protective of him and his home .
“ Everyone knows the backstory , but no one talks about the past tense , ” one topical anesthetic say , “ they have a new life and masses respect that . ”
After reading about Stefan Fritzl , the 2nd shaver of Elisabeth Fritzl and her opprobrious father , Josef Fritzl , key out the harrowing narration ofNatascha Kampusch , the Austrian girl who was kidnapped at the age of 10 and held for more than eight class before she managed to scarper . Or larn aboutJaycee Dugard , the American 11 - year - quondam who was abducted and spend 18 years with her captors .
