Austrian police probe deeper into Fritzl incest case, victims undergoing therapy

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The Austrian police in-charge said that Fritzl had signed the statement admitting imprisoning his daughter and fathering her seven children as well as disposing off the body of a still-born baby in an incinerator, but refuses to give details or explain his actions even as the detectives try to analyze his motive or reason for such a 'barbaric' act.

Fritzl faces up to 15 years in prison if he is convicted of raping his daughter among the other offences.

Police authorities are under pressure as claims are being made that that laxity on their part prolonged the captive daughter's imprisonment and misery. The ongoing investigation is being increasingly questioned by the Austrian public who has been shocked by the 'appalling' case.

They have discounted the theory that he had an accomplice. Franz Polzer, the police chief of Lower Austria, emphasized that Fritzl had "acted alone in imprisoning his family in the cramped cellar putting."

Questions were raised about how the 300kg concrete door to the hidden cellar could be installed by one man, or as to how the family survived when he was away.

The Police have found out that the door was part of an old bunker and was always there. They also claim that "Fritzl planned his crime too meticulously to have been caught any earlier." Further questioning with the eye-witnesses who saw Fritzl carting food supplies into the cellar revealed they just thought that he was storing it without any hint of what was actually going on.

Police officials also added that the members of the Fritzl family will be offered the chance to adopt new identities in an effort to help them lead normal lives.

They have confirmed that they are interrogating Fritzl for possible links to the unsolved murder of a young woman committed more than 20 years ago in 1986.

The body of Martina Posch, 17, was found wrapped in two green plastic covers in the Mondsee lake near Salzburg. She was believed to have been raped.

The crime has never been solved and the police said the victim looked strikingly similar to Elisabeth Fritzl, the imprisoned daughter.

An investigator said, "When we put the two pictures next to each other we couldn't believe it."

Fritzl used to own a bed-and-breakfast by the lake between 1973 and 1996 very close to where the body was found. The provincial police of Upper Austria said that they will check whether Fritzl was at the Mondsee lake in November 1986 when the murder happened and if any DNA evidence has been saved it will be checked against his.

The chief of the Upper Austrian police force, Alois Lissl said, "It is hard to check up on an alibi dating back 22 years."

But Fritzl tainted record has instigated this fresh investigation. Fritzl was jailed for 18 months in the late 1960s for raping another woman. The victim recently stated, "When I saw his picture I knew it was him because of the eyes. I could hardly sleep."

Meanwhile, an artist's impression shows Elisabeth, who is now 42, as a woman aged beyond her years due to an absolute lack of sunlight and terrible living conditions.

Doctors said the 24 years she spent underground had taken a terrible toll on her appearance and health.

Haggard, grey-haired with pale skin, the artist's impression has people admitting "she looks more like a sister of her mother Rosemarie who is 68 years old."

A source that assisted in the impression's drawing in Amstetten, Austria, said, "She could easily be mistaken to be at-least 65 years old. There's no spark. It's clear she suffered."

Away from all that, Fritzl's daughter, Elisabeth and her three children are currently starting their recovery in the clinic where the eldest of the daughters, 19-year-old Kerstin, is being treated for critical illness.

They will all need extensive therapy to come to terms with the horrific ordeal, medical officials have stated in reports. Psychologists maintain that the family will most likely need years to recover from its trauma.

The three children have weakened immune systems, vitamin D deficiency, are anaemic and have cramped posture. They are not able to use language properly and speak using animalistic squeaks.

Stefan, 18 and Felix, 5 speak to each other in animal-like "grunts and growls" after spending their lifetimes in captivity, a hospital attendant said.

Police Chief Leopold Etz said, "When people say the children speak, this is only half true. With each other, they communicate with noises that are a mixture of growling and cooing. If they want to say something that others understand they have to focus and concentrate, which seems to be extremely exhausting."

Felix, five, prefers to crawl although he can walk. Stefan, 18, may have damaged sight and hearing. Their critically ill sister Kerstin, has lost most of her teeth.

The shocking effects of the family's imprisonment were brought to light as they tried to settle down in secure accommodation in hospital.

The father did not give any books to the family during their captivity. But Elisabeth still tried to teach her children reading and writing though with her endless suffering, she had lost much of her childhood knowledge. All that the children knew of the world was sourced from the television set.

The youngest of them all, Felix asked a police officer what the moon was, saying "Is God up there-", and is amused at the sight of a cow.

The boys said that the first meal after their freedom was "wonderful" and much better than their usual "meager diet".

Doctors admit that they face a huge challenge dealing with the combined effects of incest, isolation and a complete lack of medical care.

Kerstin is still in intensive care suffering from severe lack of oxygen. She was brought to hospital unconscious.

Clinic director Berthold Kepplinger said, "Each victim is traumatized in a different way. They need a lot of space and time to recover. And we are looking after them with a huge team of child and adult psychologists, therapists, neurologists and physiotherapists."

Speaking out, Natascha Kampusch, another former Austrian captive who was held captive for more than eight years has held out hope that the Fritzl family can come to terms with their ordeal as the emotional scars would remain with the family forever.

Kampusch said, "I wish the family the best of luck and hope that they will pull through, and I think that at least the youngest ones will succeed."

Asked whether she was still suffering as a result of her own ordeal, she replied, "Suffering is probably not the right word, but it stays with you the rest of your life."

She has called for a wider donation campaign for the victims and stressed that even more important was long-term support for Elisabeth Fritzl.