Missing child escapes from captivity

An Austrian schoolgirl, missing for eight years, has turned up alive and well. Natascha Kampusch, aged ten, disappeared on her way to school in Vienna in 1998 and despite a nationwide search was never found. This week she escaped from captivity in Strasshof - less than ten miles from her home.

Her alleged kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, committed suicide the same day as Natascha escaped. Although DNA test results have still to be revealed, Natascha's parents are in no doubt that their daughter has returned to them. Police also believe the 18-year-old girl is Natascha.

'We fell into each other's arms I recognised her from her way of being, her face. I always thought she was alive,' Natascha's mother, Brigitta Sirny, told Austrian TV. Her father - who lives separately from her mother - also positively identified Natascha, as did her half-sister.

Police were quoted as saying Natascha had been held captive in a cellar for the past eight years, locked up day and night, but allowed her freedom for household chores. It was while vacuuming Priklopil's car that she saw an opportunity to escape and took it.

Police interviewed Priklopil at the time of the abduction but his house was never searched. The case has shocked Austria with many people asking how Natascha could be held captive in a small village without suspicions being raised.

It is not yet clear whether there was a sexual motive for the kidnapping. For the moment Natascha and her family are just happy to be reunited.

• Child Safety
  
• This Week's News
  
• What Our Members Are Discussing Today