Tearful reunion in Austria; new facts surface in Fritzl case

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"He acted as if he was the building's superintendent, but he never did very much. And just because he had a key to the cellar doesn't mean that he knew about the secret dungeon," he stated.

The state office of criminal investigation in Lower Austria has declined to comment on these issues.

Meanwhile, a survivor of a similar ordeal, Natascha Kampusch, who spent eight years imprisoned in a basement in Austria itself before escaping nearly two years ago has also spoken out. She believes the sudden rescue of those held underground for so long could do even further damage.

Kampusch said that the measures being taken can back-fire as she speaks from personal experience.

"I think most people who are now giving their so-called expert opinion should hold back because they are probably wrong. I believe it might have been better to leave them where they were. That was, of course, the environment they were used to. Pulling them abruptly out of this situation without transition and isolating them can't be good for them," she said, adding that a gradual rehabilitation is the better way for restoring back the normalcy in Elisabeth and her children's lives.

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