Kidnapping Her mother, Brigitte Sirny, 55, had two grown-up daughters and four grandchildren in 1998 when Natascha vanished. After Natascha's disappearance it emerged that the pair had quarrelled on the morning she was snatched, with Brigitte admitting slapping her daughter across the face. Koch, her father, even accused his former partner of being involved in his daughter's disappearance, a charge he has since apologised for. She left her family's residence in Vienna's Donaustadt district on 2 March 1998 for school, but failed to arrive or come home. A witness reported having seen her entering a white minibus with dark rear and side windows, and two other witnesses reported the letters G or GF (for Gänserndorf) on the license plate. A witness claimed she had seen Natascha being dragged into the white minibus, with another person at the wheel.[1][2] Natascha Kampusch, however, does not report that a second man was present. [3] [4] A massive search followed, yielding no success. Seven hundred cars were examined, including that of the kidnapper, Priklopil, who lived in Strasshof an der Nordbahn in Lower Austria, near Gänserndorf, about half an hour from Vienna by car,[5] as part of a massive effort to interview owners of white minibuses. Although he stated that on the morning of 2 March 1998 he was alone at home, no further investigation was undertaken. The police were satisfied with his explanation of why he owned the minibus: to transport construction site rubble, since Priklopil was doing construction work in his house. Furthermore, he had no criminal record at that time.[6] Officials investigated possible links to the crimes of the French serial killer Michel Fourniret.[7] [edit] Captivity It was widely reported in the media that she was held in a "dungeon" for the period of her confinement. This very small secret room was hidden 2.5 meters underground with only 5 m² of space -- 2.78 m length x 1.81 m width x 2.37 m height (approximately 9 ft long, 6 ft wide, with a 7 ft 9 in ceiling). The chamber was not an ordinary bedroom. It was closed, with two doors and a strong-room door made of steel. The area had no windows or daylight. Kampusch was not allowed to leave the tiny space in the first years of her imprisonment at night. In later years, the room was remodelled according to Natascha's specifications. [citation needed] Only after February 2006 had her kidnapper allowed her to leave the house on occasion.[8] [9] [10]As of June 2005, she had been allowed to walk in the garden.[11] [citation needed] According to Kampusch's official statement after her escape, she and Priklopil would get up early each morning to have breakfast together. Priklopil gave her books, educated her, and according to a coleague of his, she appeared happy. She said she was lucky to have escaped temptations of the outside world, like drugs bad company or alcohol. Priklopil had said that he will kill neighbours her and then himself, if she escaped. Nevertheless, Natascha fantasized about chopping his head off, and smashed bottles against walls in hysterical attempts to make noise. [edit] Escape Natascha resurfaced in August 2006. One day when she was cleaning and vacuuming the car in the garden, Priklopil went away because the vacuuming noise disturbed a telephone call. She left the vacuum cleaner running and ran away. She knocked on the window of a 71-year old neighbor known as Inge T., saying, "I am Natascha Kampusch."[12] The neighbor informed the police. Later Kampusch was taken to the police department in the town of Deutsch Wagram. She had previously been allowed on outings with Priklopil, and tried at least once to escape.[13] Natascha Kampusch was identified by a scar on her body, a passport in her name was found in the hidden room where she had been held, and also by DNA tests.[14] The young woman was in good physical health, although she looked pale and shaken and weighed only 42 kg (approximately 93 lbs). Sabine Freudenberger, the first police officer to speak to Natascha Kampusch after her ordeal, said that she was astonished by her "intelligence, her vocabulary". Priklopil brought her books, newspapers, and a radio, and some reports say he even taught her. Priklopil, having found that the police were after him, killed himself by jumping in front of a suburban train near the North Station in Vienna. He had apparently also predicted his suicide by telling Natascha that "they would not catch him alive."[15] [edit] After escape In her official statement she said "I don't want and will not answer any questions about personal or intimate details."[16] Sabine Freudenberger expressed the opinion that Kampusch could have had "sexual contact" with her kidnapper.[17] There is speculation that Kampusch may have Stockholm syndrome as a result of her ordeal. She indicated that she felt grief over Priklopil's suicide, in spite of having been held captive for eight years by him.[18] She has, however, denied these claims and referred to her captor as a "criminal."[19] [edit] Interviews Natascha Kampusch being interviewed on 2006-09-06.After reportedly hundreds of requests for an interview with the teenager, with media outlets offering vast sums of money, Kampusch was interviewed by state broadcaster ORF. The interview was broadcast on 6 September 2006 after final approval by Natascha. ORF did not pay for its interview [20], but said any proceeds from selling the interview to other channels would be forwarded to Natascha. This money - estimates say some hundred thousand Euros - will be donated to women in Africa and Mexico by Kampusch. Likewise she plans projects to help these women. As of 6 September interest has been enormous and it seems Natascha will be able to fulfill one of her dreams - to go on a cruise with her parents. The newspaper Kronen Zeitung and news magazine NEWS have also interviewed Natascha. The interview was published on 6 September 2006. Both press interviews were given in return for a package including housing support, a long-term job offer, and help with her education.[21] [edit] See also Steven Stayner, a boy from Merced, California, USA kidnapped at age 7 and held captive for a little over 7 years from late 1972 to early 1980. His ordeal was turned into the Made-for-TV movie. Sano Fusako, a girl in Japan kidnapped at age 10 and held captive for 9 years from 1990 to 2000 Sabine Dardenne, a girl in Belgium kidnapped at age 12 by Marc Dutroux and held captive for 2.5 months in 1996 Tanya Kach, a girl in Pennsylvania held at the home of Thomas Hose from 1996 to 2006 Elizabeth Smart, a girl in Salt Lake City, Utah, who was kidnapped at age 14 and held captive for 9 months from 2002 to 2003 Carol Smith was held captive in a box under a bed, off and on, from 1977 until 1984. Abduction of Lena Simakhina, 17 and Katya Martynova, 14 by factory worker Viktor Mokhov, 53. He kept girls as sex slaves in the underground cellar for 3.5 years from 2001 until 2004. The Collector, a book/movie about a lonely young man (a butterfly collector) with nonexistent social skills, who one day decides to add to his 'collection' the girl he is attracted to in hopes that if he keeps her captive long enough, she will grow to love him. [edit] References ^ Further details emerge of Austrian kidnapping case ^ "Natscha Kampusch ist auch von Eltern abgeschottet" Wiener Zeitung, 2006-08-27 (German) ^ ""He Was No Sex Beast"", Sky News, 2006-09-01. ^ "Text of kidnapped girl’s public statement", MSNBC, 2006-08-28. ^ Campbell, Matthew, "Dungeon girl had sex with captor", The Australian date = 2006-08-28. ^ "Er war ein Teil meines Lebens", Kurier, 2006-08-29.(German) ^ ""Missing Austrian Girl Resurfaces After Eight Years"", 2006-08-24. ^ "Kidnapper's friend says he met 'cheerful' Natascha", TIMES ONLINE, 2006-08-31. ^ "Natascha tells of abductor's violence and terrifying lies", TIMES ONLINE, 2006-09-01. ^ "Die Erklärung von Ernst H. im Wortlaut (The explanation by Ernst Holzapfel in his wording", KURIER, 2006-08-30.(German) ^ "Neighbors say they saw captive girl alone outside", NorthJersey.com, 2006-08-30. ^ Elkins, Ruth, "Natascha's survival is due to her young age and 'iron will'", The Independent Online, 2006-08-27. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5319214.stm?ls ^ BBC News: Austria girl 'describes kidnap', 2006-08-25 ^ "Held captive by 'the master', she lost her childhood in a tiny room", The Daily Telegraph, 2006-08-25. ^ Text: Austria kidnap girl's statement ^ "Mother pleads to see kidnap girl", BBC News, 2006-08-27. ^ "Stockholm Syndrome", Reuters, 2006-08-30. ^ "Denial of Stockholm Syndrome", New York Sun, 2006-09-07. ^ "Kidnap girl to give TV interview", BBC NEWS, 2006-09-04. ^ "Kidnapped girl 'dreamt of escape'", BBC News, 2006-09-06. Sydney morning Herald 7 September 2006. "It was a place to despair: kidnap girl". Accessed 7 September 2006 Washington Post. 24 August 2006. "Austrian girl's suspected kidnapper kills himself". Accessed 24 August 2006. ORF. 25 August 2006. "Hatte Entführer einen Komplizen?". Accessed 25 August 2006 (German) Kampusch's letter to the media, read and written by her psychiatrist at a news conference (English translation). He said he was told by Kampusch not to provide her statement in written form. [edit] External links Wikinews has news related to: Austrian teenager mourns captor's suicideTimes Online — Transcript: Natascha Kampusch TV interview Video of her dungeon cabin by Bundeskriminalamt (Federal Criminal Police Office of Austria) English translation by International Herald-Tribune of open letter released by Kampusch on 28 August 2006 Draft of the hidden room Kampusch lived in by APA Draft of the hidden room Kampusch lived in by Federal Criminal Police Office of Austria Natascha Kampusch passport-photo Natascha Kampusch - the first photo by NEWS Transcript of interview with Natascha Kampusch (German) Video stream. Extract of the interview (German) Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natascha_Kampusch"
i live about 10 kms from Wolfganf Priklopils house.... its a tragedy... Did you see the interview on ORF2?