 |
|
||
 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
   |  | |||||||||||||||||||||
DNA confirms identity of kidnapped Austrian girl
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTSVIENNA, Austria (CNN) -- DNA tests have confirmed the identity of a young Austrian woman believed to have been held captive in a basement "dungeon" and sexually assaulted over an eight-year period. Police said Friday the woman -- found roaming in a residential area near Vienna earlier this week -- is Natascha Kampusch, who vanished in 1998 at the age of 10. And in a twist to one of Vienna's most notorious and mysterious crimes, Kampusch's alleged kidnapper committed suicide by jumping in front of a train shortly after she escaped on Wednesday. Police identified the man as Wolfgang Priklopil, a 44-year-old communications technician. "Neighbors called him quiet and polite, if reclusive," CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance reported. Family members told Chance that Kampusch, now 18, was held in "absolutely appalling conditions" under a garage behind a house outside Vienna. "She was kept in a cramped dungeon built by a suspected pedophile," Chance said. Photos released by police showed a small, cluttered room with narrow stairs leading to a small entrance. They showed a bed, sink and a toilet, as well as children books. (Watch how kidnap case gripped Austria) Family members "do believe that sexual molestation did take place on numerous occasions over several years," Chance said. "They also say that for several months, if not several years, Natascha was gagged in that cellar so you couldn't scream to alert neighbors." Chance added: "For most of the time she was held securely under lock and key. But over the years the man who she came to call her master became increasingly careless. And eventually she saw an opportunity to escape." Family members said Kampusch "was apparently absolutely filthy dirty ... and really smelled," he said. In remarks broadcast on Austrian television Kampusch's sister said her mother almost had a breakdown when police notified her Wednesday afternoon. She added that her mother always held onto the hope that her daughter would come back one day. "She always said she was still alive," said the sister, identified by the broadcaster as Sabina Sirny. (Full story) Kampusch's father, who split from her mother before the kidnapping, said he was "incredibly relieved" after her shock return. She met her mother on Thursday for the first time since 1998. Kampusch, then aged 10, vanished in Vienna while walking to school on March 2, 1998. Her disappearance triggered a massive, fruitless search that extended into neighboring Hungary. But on Wednesday afternoon, police said they found the young woman in a yard in a residential area north of Vienna. "Asked why the woman had not tried to flee until now, BKA investigator Erich Zwettler said she seemed to have had "Stockholm Syndrome," a psychological condition in which captives identify with their captors. Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report. 
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| © 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. Site Map. |
|
External sites open in new window; not endorsed by CNN.com
Pay service with live and archived video. 
