Austria. woman kept hostage by her father for 24 years! click this for the CNN report of the article below

AMSTETTEN, Austria (CNN) -- Police in Austria have confirmed that three children freed from a cellar in which their mother had been imprisoned and raped by her own father for 24 years had never seen daylight.

Austrian police spokesman Franz Polzer told CNN that the 73-year-old man, known as Mr. F., admitted holding his daughter, Elisabeth F., 42, hostage in the windowless cell and fathering seven children by her.

"The mother had memories [of the outside world] and got used to the situation," Polzer told a press conference Monday afternoon. "The others knew nothing else."

Elisabeth F. told police that she and her three children Kerstin, 19; Stefan, 18; and Felix, 5, did not see the light of day during their entire time in captivity underneath the building in Amstetten, a rural town about 150 km (93 miles) west of Vienna.

Elisabeth F. is described as "very disturbed" and having trouble talking to police about her ordeal, reports CNN correspondent Fred Pleitgen. She went missing in 1984, when she was 18 years old, police have said. Watch police describe House of Horror investigation. »

More details also emerged at the news conference about the basement dungeon in which the daughter and her children were kept -- and how her father managed to keep them captive for more than two decades.

The authorities have revealed that the prison, constructed in the basement of the 1960s building, ran underneath both the building itself and the garden outside.

The entrance was via a small door, hidden behind cupboards in the basement, controlled by an electronic keyless-entry system. Polzer said that the prison was hard to find, even if someone was looking for it, and had been soundproofed.

"Even though they shouted and called they were not in a position to let anyone hear them," Polzer told the press conference.

Polzer said that the father made clear to his wife and other children that the area was out of bounds and they were not to go into the basement. He bought food and took it to his captives in the evening.

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Detectives made the grim discovery about the cellar earlier this month after Kerstin was hospitalized in Amstetten after falling unconscious and taken to a hospital in Amstetten by her grandfather with a SOS note from her mother hidden on her.

A DNA test was later carried out which revealed her grandfather, Mr. F., was also her father, according to ORF, Austria's state-run news agency.

That sparked a police investigation, which revealed that Mr. F. fathered at least six children with his daughter, forcing her and three of the surviving children to live in the cellar of his house, according to ORF's Peter Schmitzberger.

On Sunday, police searched the hidden rooms where Mr. F. admitted he kept his daughter and their children, including sleeping quarters, a kitchen and a bathroom, which Mr. F. told police he built, Polzer said.

Amstetten police say they were put on Mr. F.'s trail following an anonymous tip off. They apprehended the pair on Saturday near the hospital and once police assured the daughter that she would never have contact with her father again, "she was able to tell the whole story," Schmitzberger said.

Elisabeth F. said her father began sexually abusing her at age 11. On August 8, 1984 -- weeks before she was reported missing -- her father enticed her into the basement, where he drugged her, put her in handcuffs and locked her in a room, she told police.

For the next 24 years, she was constantly raped by her father, resulting in the six surviving children, she said, according to the police statement.

She also told police she gave birth to twins in 1996, but one of the babies died a few days later as a result of neglect, and Mr. F. removed the infant's body and burned it in an oven.

She told police that only her father supplied her and her children with food and clothing, and that she did not think his wife knew anything about their situation

Mr. F. lived upstairs with his wife, Rosemarie F., who police said had no idea about her husband's other family living in the cellar. The couple adopted three of the children that Mr. F. had with his daughter, according to police. He told his wife that his missing daughter had dropped the unwanted children off at the house because she could not take care of them, police said.

When Kerstin fell ill, Mr. F. apparently told his wife and the hospital that his "missing" daughter had dropped off the sick girl on his doorstep.

In an effort to find out about Kerstin's condition, the hospital asked the media to put out a bulletin requesting any information about the girl or her missing mother, attorney general Gerhard Sedlacek told NTV.

Sometime later, Mr. F. brought Elisabeth F. out of the cellar, telling his wife that she had returned home with her two children after a 24-year absence, police said.

He took Elisabeth F. to the hospital to talk with doctors about Kerstin's condition, and at that point, authorities became aware of her situation, Sedlacek said.

more on it:
click on this for news coverage of the same shocking crime on asia one

pray for them. pray for the team of psychologists helping the victims. pray for salvation, healing. for everyone including the dad. pray for many others who are in such abuse!

Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" - Corrie Ten Boom

my med students see death during their studies in the hospital n i quote one of them here "the tragedy is not in the death but in the life." sometimes we think it is sad when some1 dies. dun get me wrong, it is indeed sad. but sometimes, the life that was lived was a sadder tale than how death came upon the person. how do you live?
Jesus said, "i came that they may have life and have it to the full. " John 10:10 how do you live life and live it to the full? do you know Him who claimed "I m the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)"?

(blogged the above on 21 april but didnt published it)
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my fren's mum passed away suddenly. severe stroke in the day then passed on in the night. she was younger than my mum. i was a little shakened. fren was having her 2nd baby due in 2 weeks' time n she is in a terrible state now. wanted to go n be there for her. but finding myself too tired n dry right now to offer her anything.

came back from a team retreat on fri. most of us went into it kicking n screaming. well, not literally. but nearly. but all of us agreed it was a good time of fellowship. did work a little. not too much to cause us to feel repulsed. for me, i havent laughed so much in a long time. i missed laughing. some of u might be surprised cos i do laugh v easily n heartily. well, yeah. where did all the mirth go?

the working part of the retreat made me question so much. n i asked more questions than we manage to find answers for. there were so much uncertainty n hesitation from me n SW. we r still v raw from a v draining acad year. the late night talks with her were so good. i didnt realise how fearful n tired we ve gotten. still reeling from last year.

the workshops n team birkman were good. still trying to find my footing in the new team n coming new year. new role, new team. so much apprehension, so much past baggage. so much fear n hurt. gotta trust God to help us heal n move on in His strength.

came back v tired. planned to get back to office to get some accounts n IT things done. but was SO beat. slept from 11-3pm. then struggled to go out. came home n immediately slept from 11pm last night-12.30pm today! so darn tired! can u believe it?

hoping right now that today or whatever's left of it can be productive. need to prep the 2nd session of a message which i blew last week. i so desperately need clarity, not juz for the message but for my life.

so many questions, so little time.

on leave today n d rest of the week.
went down to NUS at 830. bumped in XL n Grace on the train. saved a trip to go n view her wedding day photos. she is the only fren whose wedding i helped out dat didnt get 2 c wat went on! well well...
met the M1s b4 their physio paper. had McGriddles meal for breakfast in eng. was wonderfully surprised by the the maple syrup in the pancake thingys... went down to mass media spent $217.26 on books! i got myself a whole lot of reading 2 do! haha. well, not all for myself. also as gifts 4 others.

somehow i seemed 2 b so famished 4 books after the seemingly slow rate of reading since the beginning of this year due 2 busyness n fatigue. all this l change. i ve finished 4 books since last sat! they're rather easy reads tho. yet, i ve gleaned alot fr them - a sense of gratitude n appreciation for my mum, for those i hold dear, for the everyday small blessings in my life yet BIG in the way they hold me thru the grind of living, a new awe at Creation (Genesis), a tribute to friendship and love. i felt, after my first novel on sat, as if my brain went on a holiday. sometimes when u bring yourself on a hol, your brain doesnt really go on a hol... u know wat i mean? reading is to my brain like a ice-cold drink to my body on a hot day. so darn refreshing!

went for facial after my few hours combing thru bookshelves. was so very tired. came home 2 sleep till american idol. slept thru 5 missed calls n not a few sms-es even tho my hp was right by my ear. tho now it seems my day has turned into night once again. hope i can go back 2 sleep in a few hours' time instead of when the sun is next up.

had a rather fruitful day nonwithstanding. felt it a gr8 timing 2 begin fasting lunch with LB today n finally a renewed sense of purpose n passion came flooding back as i prayed. this i so desperately need cos it's the biggest reason for my tiredness n fatigue. i know of pp who can drift thru life without much thought on purpose, much less on passion. yet for me n some others i know, it's a slow but sure death for us when the 2 "P" words dissipate.

O Lord, come, direct us, renew us. help us 2 pray once again even tho words may fail. we push past our disappointments, our weariness, our questions n press on in to seek You. refresh us dat we may want 2 ask once again, dat we may know again. wipe away the tears, the grime, the cuts n bruises. make us lie down in green pastures, lead us to quiet waters. restore our soul.

the best proof of Christ's presence in lives is the costly love flowing out of us. - John Sater, staff of CCC, Here's Life inner city



AMERICAN IDOL gives back FINAL 8 actually sang "shout to the Lord"! but instead of starting of with the actual lyrics "My Jesus, My SAviour" they sang "My Shepherd, my Saviour"... but it s "wow!" still! singing a worship song on TV to the world! way 2 go! the show was so clearly christian... mariah carey sang some v christian song too... actually i didnt watch the show. heard fr it fr my gals...checked out youtube... n praised God. ahaha.

time to blog~!
4 the 1st time (dat i can rem), i didnt have the "urge" to blog. i was on this chill pill. juz wanted not to do anything much.
so yeah... finally the said urge came back! dun u juz heave a sigh of relief? hha.yeah... i was in tis weird state right... n i didnt wan to do much n also feeling tired physically (oh m still recovering fr bronchitis. puffing my puffs still. n yes i mean puffs. plural.) so after a long day in a prayer min session n a seminar on sat, started reading A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS. maybe cos i was so tired, i didnt wan 2 pack my table, embark on my to-do list, or hack thru my work... so i decided 2 juz read... n read n read. finished it in a night. a very woeful night i must say. i cried so hard n loud, my bro said it felt as if some1 REALLY passed away. it's such a sad tale! so sad dat i cried the first few minutes i woke up this morning recalling the story. so darn sad la! but i think it s better than kiterunner. i felt kiterunner was a little OTT (over the top)! rescuing sohrab. well, it's like Hosseini is fixated on the number "1000". in kiterunner- "for you a thousand times over!" Hassan to Amir, then at the end of the book, Amir to Sohrab. thousand splendid suns -the title taken from a poem.

This poem was written in the 17th Century by Saib-e-Tabrizi

KABUL
(Translated by Dr. Josephine Davis)
Ah! How beautiful is Kabul encircled by her arid mountains
And Rose, of the trails of thorns she envies
Her gusts of powdered soil, slightly sting my eyes
But I love her, for knowing and loving are born of this same dust

My song exhalts her dazzling tulips
And at the beauty of her trees, I blush
How sparkling the water flows from Pul-I-Bastaan!
May Allah protect such beauty from the evil eye of man!

Khizr chose the path to Kabul in order to reach Paradise
For her mountains brought him close to the delights of heaven
From the fort with sprawling walls, A Dragon of protection
Each stone is there more precious than the treasure of Shayagan

Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eye
Through the bazaars, caravans of Egypt pass
One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs
And the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls

Her laughter of mornings has the gaiety of flowers
Her nights of darkness, the reflections of lustrous hair
Her melodious nightingales, with passion sing their songs
Ardent tunes, as leaves enflamed, cascading from their throats

And I, I sing in the gardens of Jahanara, of Sharbara
And even the trumpets of heaven envy their green pastures



then, it's as if one wasnt enough, i spent sometime today at borders reading FOR ONE MORE DAY by mitch albom. man... i nearly finished it too. so yeah... its on my mind now... n tho i was so cheapskate enuf 2 sit at borders to read, i wanna buy DAT book! i think it is a must read! for all of us mummy-ingrates!