A Baby Escapes

After Elisabeth gave birth to her third child, Josef realized he wanted to have a more active role in raising his children than simply visiting them occasionally in his basement. So, in August 1992, when another daughter, Lisa Fritzl, was born, Josef changed his strategy.

This time, instead of keeping Lisa prisoner from the moment she was born, Josef waited until Lisa was nine months old and left her in a cardboard box outside the Fritzl family home. He wrote a note as if it had come from Elisabeth, explaining that she had welcomed a daughter but couldn’t cope and wanted Rosemarie and Josef to raise her.

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