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September 5, 2008 10:16:11 PM CDT

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Austrian Father Hid Dungeon Expertly

Posted Apr 29, 08 9:13 PM CDT in World,  Crime & Courts 

(Newser) – Austria's Josef Fritzl hid his underground dungeon—in which he imprisoned his daughter and three of their children—so well that police couldn't find it without his hands-on help. The BBC pieces together a look at the 650-square-foot area in his cellar that Fritzl used to hide his secret family. He got into the dungeon via a 3-foot concrete door hidden beneath shelves in his cellar workshop—and only he could open the electronic lock.

The dungeon area was divided into rooms—some no bigger than about 5 feet high—for sleeping, cooking, and bathing. Fritzl expanded the dungeon as the second family grew, though police are curious how he did so secretly. The four occupants never got fresh air, but a tube provided ventilation. To cover his tracks, Fritzl forbid his wife and children living upstairs from entering the cellar.

Source BBC

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Josef Fritzl in a police photo.   (AP Photo/Police Niederoesterreich)
A police officer stands inside the entrance of the house in Amstetten, Austria, on Monday, April 28, 2008, where Josef Fritzl has confessed to imprisoning his own daughter.   (AP Photo/Ronald Zak)
A woman places a candle at the main square of Amstetten, Austria, Tuesday, April 29, 2008 during a night vigil for members of the Fritzl family.   (AP Photo/Kerstin Joensson)
Arerial view of the building in Amstetten, Austria, center right, with green rooftop garden, where 73-year-old Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter.   (AP Photo/inflight gmbh)
A photo shows a view into a hidden room in the Fritzl cellar.   (AP Photo/Police Niederoesterreich)
A photo shows a hidden room in the Fritzl basement in Austria.   (AP Photo/Police Niederoesterreich)
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kidnapping  • rape  • Josef Fritzl  • Austria  • incest  • Elisabeth Fritzl


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