Josef Fritzl Case
Josef Fritzl imprisoned his daughter Elisabeth in a cellar for 24 years, fathering seven children with her. The case was discovered in 2008 when one of the children needed hospital care.
- Status
- Conviction
- Type
- Abduction
- Date
- April 26, 2008
- Location
- Amstetten, Austria
- Gender
- Female
- Decade
- 2000s
- Open
- Partly resolved
- Charges or trial
- ClosedConviction
At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.
Case background and investigation
In August 1984, Josef Fritzl lured his 18-year-old daughter Elisabeth into the basement of their family home in Amstetten, Austria, where he drugged her and locked her in a purpose-built cellar. He would keep her imprisoned for 24 years.
During her captivity, Fritzl repeatedly raped Elisabeth, fathering seven children. Three of the children were raised upstairs by Fritzl and his wife, who believed Elisabeth had abandoned them. Three remained in the cellar. One died shortly after birth.
The case was discovered in April 2008 when 19-year-old Kerstin, one of the cellar children, fell critically ill and was taken to hospital. Elisabeth persuaded Fritzl to let her accompany Kerstin, and she told authorities the truth.
Fritzl was convicted of murder (the baby who died), enslavement, rape, incest, and imprisonment in 2009. He was sentenced to life in a psychiatric institution.
Timeline
-
August 28, 1984Elisabeth Fritzl imprisoned by her father.
-
April 26, 2008Elisabeth freed after 24 years.
-
March 19, 2009Josef Fritzl sentenced to life.
Sources
References used for this entry. ColdCaseIndex is an index of public information. To report an error, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
About this entry
This case is recorded as conviction and is kept in the index for its historical and investigative significance. At least one person was convicted in connection with the case.
To report an error on this page, email info@coldcaseindex.com.
Entry last updated September 29, 2026.
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