Josef Fritzl was a 73-year-old retired engineer in Austria. He seemed to be living a normal life with his wife, Rosemarie, and their family―though one daughter, Elisabeth, had decades earlier been "lost" to a religious cult. Throughout the years, three of Elisabeth's children mysteriously appeared on the Fritzls' doorstep; Josef and Rosemarie raised them as their own. But only Josef knew the truth about Elisabeth's disappearance… For twenty-seven years, Josef had imprisoned and molested Elisabeth in his man-made basement dungeon, complete with sound-proof paneling and code-protected electric locks. There, she would eventually give birth to a total of seven of Josef's children. One died in infancy―and the other three were raised alongside Elisabeth, never to see the light of day. Then, in 2008, one of Elisabeth's children became seriously ill, and was taken to the hospital. It was the first time the nineteen-year-old girl had ever gone outside―and soon, the truth about her background, her family's captivity, and Josef's unspeakable crimes would come to light. John Glatt's Secrets in the Cellar is the true story of a crime that shocked the world. A LOVING FATHER Josef Fritzl was a 73-year-old retired engineer in Austria. He seemed to be living a normal life with his wife, Rosemarie, and their family―though one daughter, Elisabeth, had decades earlier been "lost" to a religious cult. Throughout the years, three of Elisabeth's children mysteriously appeared on the Fritzls' doorstep; Josef and Rosemarie raised them as their own. But only Josef knew the truth about Elisabeth's disappearance… A MISSING DAUGHTER For twenty-seven years, Josef had imprisoned and molested Elisabeth in his man-made basement dungeon, complete with sound-proof paneling and code-protected electric locks. There, she would eventually give birth to a total of seven of Josef's children. One died in infancy―and the other three were raised alongside Elisabeth, never to see the light of day. AND THE AWFUL TRUTH THAT LAY HIDDEN JUST BELOW… Then, in 2008, one of Elisabeth's children became seriously ill, and was taken to the hospital. It was the first time the nineteen-year-old girl had ever gone outside―and soon, the truth about her background, her family's captivity, and Josef's unspeakable crimes would come to light. With 8 pages of shocking photos! English-born JOHN GLATT is the Edgar-award nominated author of more than thirty books including The Lost Girls and My Sweet Angel , and has over thirty years of experience as an investigative journalist in England and America. He has appeared on television and radio programs all over the world, including Dateline NBC, Fox News, ABC’s 20/20, BBC World News, and A&E Biography. Secrets in the Cellar A True Story of the Austrian Incest Case that Shocked the World By John Glatt St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2009 John Glatt All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-312-94786-6 Contents PROLOGUE, CHAPTER 1 A Nazi Childhood, CHAPTER 2 Starting a Family, CHAPTER 3 "If You Scream, I Will Kill You!", CHAPTER 4 Elisabeth, CHAPTER 5 "The Pig Will Beat Us to Death One Day", CHAPTER 6 Escape, CHAPTER 7 Brief Encounter, CHAPTER 8 Taken, CHAPTER 9 His Second Wife, CHAPTER 10 Children of the Cellar, CHAPTER 11 The Foundlings, CHAPTER 12 Pillar of the Community, CHAPTER 13 A Double Life, CHAPTER 14 His Underground Kingdom, CHAPTER 15 Losing Control, CHAPTER 16 Into the Light, CHAPTER 17 Freedom, CHAPTER 18 A Reunion, CHAPTER 19 "It's Beyond Comprehension", CHAPTER 20 "Hey, Satan, Come Out and Play!", CHAPTER 21 "The Devil Himself", CHAPTER 22 Under Siege, CHAPTER 23 "I Could Have Killed Them All", CHAPTER 24 "We, the Whole Family", CHAPTER 25 Frankenstein, CHAPTER 26 Miracle, CHAPTER 27 A New Start, CHAPTER 28 Elisabeth Speaks, EPILOGUE, CHAPTER 1 A Nazi Childhood Josef Stefan Fritzl was born in Amstetten, Lower Austria, on April 9, 1935, amidst the early rumblings of political upheaval from the rise of Nazism in neighboring Germany. His mother, Maria, a devout Roman Catholic, ruled the family, totally dominating his father, Josef Sr., a poor laborer with few ambitions. The highly intelligent only child grew up in a climate of cruel uncertainty and discipline, both inside the Fritzl home and out. Although the scenic mountainous region was settled in the Stone Age, the first known written mention of Amstetten was in 1111. The most notable event in its thin history was the Battle of Amstetten in November 1805, when Napoleon's army overran the town, killing hundreds of Austrian soldiers. Then in 1858, the railroad came to Amstetten, linking it to the rest of the Austria–Hungarian Empire. Today's Amstetten is a small nondescript market town, lying midway between Vienna and Linz. It reclines in a valley of rolling green hills, noted for its apple cider and pear perry, with picturesque mountains and ancient fairy-tale castles towering in the distanc