The Austrian "Inzest Monster" - justice still lacking [Updated]

Elizabeth's last known photo before she was locked up for 24 years. Embedded from the Daily Mail

"Inzest Monster" (incest monster) is what the German media are calling Josef Fritzl, the man who raped and locked up his own children, and forced them to grow up in a tiny cellar space for 24 years. This has received quite a bit of coverage in the United States, but has taken the European press by storm. If by some wild chance, you haven't read about it, a timeline in English is here.

It's difficult to truly imagine a crime of this magnitude.

As soon as I read about this story, I strongly doubted two widely reported items: 1) That Fritzl's wife knew nothing about it, and 2) that he acted alone. Subsequent reports from other tenants in the building support my doubts. At least one person reported another man, as well as Fritzl's wife going to the cellar.

However, Leopold Etz, the chief homicide investigator for the Lower Austria province, said: "I think we can rule out accomplices". Head of the criminal investigation unit Franz Polzer, claimed he was certain the wife knew nothing about it. This is not only extremely improbable, but it is a criminally negligent way to run an investigation. The family members who have suffered so long deserve full justice, not more incompetance. These statements were made before the investigation was even completed and the before Fritzl's wife was even questioned in depth!

If Josef Fritzl had no accomplices, and the wife knew nothing, then there are some curious things that need to be explained:

1) Are we to believe that Josef Fritzl, an electrician by trade, installed all the tiling and plumbing downstairs, and maintained it's repair for 24 years of constant use, all by himself?

2) Are we to believe that Mr. Fritzl carried a refrigerator, a freezer, a washing machine, and four beds (through narrow spaces) without assistance?

3) The basement was later expanded in size as well. Fritzl did this alone? Someone would have had to not only do the work but carry the dirt and stone upstairs. One old man could do this over a great deal of time, but one wonders how the captives were unable to walk out while the door was constantly opening and closing.

4) How did the prisoners get their food while Fritzl went out of the country on holiday for weeks? If all the shelves in the place were fully stocked with canned goods it might be enough, but there are numerous related problems such as waste disposal, for example. Three people piling up trash for weeks means large loads to carry out. So we are to believe that Mr. Fritzl, in his 60s at the time, had no trouble carrying at least 100lbs of food downstairs and loads of rubbish out when he came back? All the time keeping control of the captives and making sure they didn't slip out? And make sure no one else noticed what he was doing?

5) According to these "investigators", I'm also supposed to believe that the wife knew nothing. Well, aside from the noises in the basement and the strange behavior that others noticed, the clues were everywhere. For example, Austrians have to separate their garbage. Over a period of 24 years, didn't she ever notice strange things in the outside trash bin - things like tampons or diapers that didn't come from anyone she knew?

6) Fritzl also raped his daughter since she was 11 years old, fully seven years before she was imprisoned in the basement. She was living with her mother and father during this time, and as Bild.de points out, in incest cases, 80% of the time the mother knows what is going on.

Finally:

4) Finally, who helped him install a 660lb security door?? That would have been absolutely impossible for any man to do alone.

I predict much more will come out of this case; probably more things the Austrians don't want to hear about.

Absolute Evil

Most reports remark on how these three children grew up without ever seeing the sun. But it goes beyond even that. Here's just a few of the things we take for granted that some of these captives never had in their lives:

to see the moon
to see the stars
to travel anywhere other than your home
to meet someone who is not a member of your own family
to see more than six people at one time
to have sex with someone other than a family member
to run
to see a forest
to climb a tree
to swim
to feel the wind
to ride a bicycle
to see an animal
to have a pet
to go to school
to go shopping
to ride in a car/train/airplane

You get the point.

And aside from denying his own family the most basic tenants of life for 24 years, let's look at his other crimes:

1) Repeatedly raped his own daughter for 31 years, starting when she was 11 years old. Forced her to bear seven of his children.

2) Denied his family medical attention, leading to one child dead, another in a coma with all her teeth missing.

3) Put his entire family's lives in great danger; He was 73 years old - if he was the only one with access to the cellar, then his death would mean that they would all starve.

4) Vacationed halfway across the world in Thailand (the purpose of which is not hard to guess), while his family languished in a cellar - putting their lives at risk if there was a fire or the ventilation system broke down.

5) Denied his children education throughout their formative years, stunting their intellectual growth.

6) Physically abused his children/grandchildren forcing them to cower to his every whim.

In short, treated several human beings (his own family, no less) as nothing more than mere objects for his amusement, with no concern for their well-being whatsoever. This is the very definition of evil.

And for all the above, according to certain news reports, he is facing a mere 15 years in jail. Absolutely unbelievable.

UPDATE 01/05/2008 08:37:00 PM:
I just read the following passage in the Australian News which reinforces several things I said about police incompetance here:

Franz Polzer, the police chief of Lower Austria, stonewalled as he was bombarded with questions from the media about the conduct of the case. He emphasised that Mr Fritzl, the father of seven children from an incestuous relationship, had acted alone in imprisoning his family in a cramped cellar beneath his home for 24 years.

“We are not conducting an investigation into a crime involving accomplices,” he said. But Colonel Polzer also announced that the unravelling of the case was due to an anonymous tip-off.

Elisabeth, the 42-year-old victim, was detained in the grounds of the clinic where her critically ill daughter, 19 - one of her seven children - was being treated.

The police seized Elisabeth, suspecting her of child neglect until she told the full story of her existence. Their action raises the question of who tipped off the police if not an accomplice?

“Knowing about a crime is not the same as being an accomplice,” said Colonel Polzer. “The informant asked anonymity and we will respect that.” The police seem determined to rule out any possibility of someone being in league with Mr Fritzl.

Yet more clues point to third-party involvement. The door to the dungeon - which had received building permission as a nuclear fallout shelter - weighed 300kg (660lb) and could only have been hinged into position with the help of someone else.

Mr Fritzl, moreover, went on several holidays, including at least one three-week stay in Thailand, leaving Elisabeth and her children in the cellar.

Even if the small pantry was full of cans it is unlikely that there would have been enough food to feed them. And there are still questions about how the imprisoned relatives disposed of their rubbish. Colonel Polzer blocked questions on the issue and seemed even to deny knowledge of Mr Fritzl's holidays and absences.

UPDATE 02/05/2008 05:38:00 PM:
Today, the Daily Mail also echoes my sentiments about Fritzl's wife (Elizabeth's mother) exactly:

Worryingly, however, one question they [the police] have decided not to pursue is whether Rosemarie Fritzl - who bore the monster six more children during their 51-year marriage - might have known all along what was going on in the cellar.

Asked why, Polzer blithely opined that it 'defies logic' that any wife could have remained silent while her husband created another family with their own daughter.

One hopes he is proved right, and that there is nothing of her namesake, Rosemary West (who was jailed for life for joining her husband Fred in a murder spree at their Gloucester home), about 68-year-old Rosemarie.

Given that the Austrian police are facing unprecedented criticism following serious blunders in the Natascha Kampusch case, however, it was a bold and worryingly premature assertion.

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