From the UK Telegraph:
Elisabeth Fritzl, 42, who was imprisoned by her father for 24 years and forced to bear seven of his children, has moved to the secret location in Austria with her family after she completed her testimony against her father to court authorities.
The new apartment, which is being kept strictly confidential in order to prevent the press from finding out the family’s whereabouts, is the first home Elisabeth has had after spending 24 years in the dungeon.
Her children Kerstin, 20, Stefan, 19 and Felix, five, who had never seen the light of day before they were freed by police on April 26, will for the first time be introduced to normal life after spending over two months in therapy at the Amstetten-Mauer psychiatric hospital.
Details of Elisabeth’s evidence have not been released, but it was reported that she repeated the testimony she gave to police during the initial questioning and accused her father for the death of the newborn. Fritzl is facing charges of manslaughter, rape, incarceration and incest but prosecutors said that the first two would be difficult to prove in court due to the elapse of time and lack of forensic evidence.
From the Canadian News:
Have Josef Fritzl’s alleged incest dungeon victims given paparazzi the slip?
Authorities won’t say, but Austria was abuzz Wednesday with reports that the daughter Fritzl imprisoned for 24 years and their six surviving offspring have moved to a secret location deep in the Alps where they can continue their recovery.
Security has eased up outside the psychiatric clinic near Amstetten, west of Vienna, where Elisabeth Fritzl, her children and Fritzl’s wife have been getting treatment and counselling since those held captive gained their freedom in April.
The daily Oesterreich claimed the family has sought refuge somewhere in the Alps – possibly in the Salzkammergut, a popular resort area outside Salzburg nestled in mountains studded with pristine lakes and unspoiled forests.
The region, named for its former imperial salt mines dating to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, offers plenty of crisp fresh air and recuperative mineral baths “for those dungeon victims whose respiratory systems were injured,” it said.
Christoph Herbst, a lawyer representing the victims, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
But the speculation touched off a flurry of calls to radio talk shows and some indignation in the blogosphere, where there were dozens of pleas to paparazzi to respect the victims’ privacy.
From an Australian Newspaper
British newspapers reported that Elisabeth Fritzl, who had seven children to her father after enduring years of sexual abuse, and her family had left the Amstetten psychiatric clinic where they had been staying since being freed in April.
The Sun newspaper said doctors at the clinic had decided to move the family because it would have been an inappropriate place to rehabilitate Elisabeth’s younger children over the long term.
“They’re not here any more,” an unnamed source told the newspaper.
“They and the security guards have moved on.”
The Daily Mirror also reported the family would need the same security measures at their new home as they had at the clinic, where they were protected from the media.
“It was not an easy solution,” a source said.
The surprising thing is not that the victims will never be able to function normally. That was a given. The surprising thing is that they function as well as they do–they have already come beyond what I would have thought was their ultimate limit.
They, at least Elisabeth and Kerstin and Stefan–and to some extent Felix–will need, and deserve, a sheltered home for life. Even having escaped the pit, they will never move freely and comfortably about the world or among people, so it is extremely important that their home, which will become a sort of self-imposed “prison,” be adequate to contain beauty and joy.
There should have been, but wasn’t, money to sustain their lives in the cellar creep’s estate. There would be plenty of money if his memoirs were published, but some of us have reservations about this source–not that it’s dirty money; not even that it will hurt the victims, who will rarely be seen in public ever, but because (as commented to the article regarding maternal murder/kidnapping of an unborn child), the world has concealed among its decent people enormous numbers of cellar creep wannabes who would be motivated and/or schooled by such a book.
There are donations, but the need will be neither limited nor temporary. The Austrian government, from what we read, has a generous dependency program (the one that was scammed by the cellar creep via the three upstairs children), but this family’s requirements will far exceed anything anticipated by a government program.
It’s a challenge, but a solution that minimizes stress and burden on the survivors and assures their comfort and privacy must be found.
The more I hear about this man,this beast of a man who would do what he did and still has no remorse,from what I hear.I would think that knowing that his death is possibly before 2009,that he would be on his knees before the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,for repentence,for salvation.
Enough abought Josef;forgive me.I am so happy that there is some happiness to be found for the family.In the Alps,there are ideal recreational atmospheres(although I would strongly suggest AGAINST downhill or crosscounrty sking at this point).Elisabeth & family need that place,not for recreation,so much as for extended recovery.