Austrian police: Suspect's dungeon plans date back to 1978

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Mayer said experts will have to determine Fritzl's mental state and decide whether the suspect can be considered certifiably insane. If that is the case, and Fritzl is convicted, he would be confined to a psychiatric institution rather than a prison, he said.

"I believe that the trigger was a mental disorder, because I can't imagine that someone has sex with his own daughter without having a mental disorder," Mayer said.

Berthold Kepplinger director of the psychiatric clinic that has been counseling and caring for Elisabeth, Fritzl's wife and the children he had with his daughter said the victims are slowly learning how to live as a family.

He said the children were given a fish tank and the youngest a 5-year-old boy received a teddy bear.

"Both sides of the family are slowly growing together," Kepplinger said. "What is nice is to see how the family is starting to organize daily life. Mother and grandmother are preparing breakfast and dinner together. The children are making their beds themselves."

Authorities first began to unravel the complex story on April 19, when a 19-year-old girl whom Fritzl fathered with his daughter was admitted to a hospital suffering from a lung infection.

Doctors, unable to find any medical records for the girl, appealed on television for her mother to come forward. Fritzl then accompanied Elisabeth to the hospital on April 26 and opened up to police.

The 19-year-old remained hospitalized Monday in critical but stable condition. Officials said she is still being kept in an artificial coma to help her breathe.

Investigators have said they believe Fritzl concealed his crimes from his wife, and Polzer on Monday reiterated officials' belief that the retired electrician acted alone.

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