Linz sisters

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The Linz sisters, Viktoria, Katharina and Elisabeth, are three women who were imprisoned in a cellar for seven years from 1998 to 2005. They were imprisoned there by their mother, and are known as the Linz sisters because the crime took place in Linz, Austria.[1] Their case has received renewed attention as of 2008 as it is one of three similar Austrian cases in which children were kept in cellars for extended periods of time.[2]

Their mother gained custody of the children following her divorce, at the age of 53. Afterwards, she suffered a mental breakdown. She withdrew the children, then aged 7, 11 and 13, from schooling, and imprisoned them in a cellar with no running water in near-total darkness. Her husband, a judge, was unable to see the children despite at least nine claims for access going before the courts.

Over the period of their incarceration, the children developed an almost unintelligible language based on German.[3]

On being rescued, the children were found to be severely malnourished and unable to tolerate sunlight.[4]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ The Linz sisters. feralchildren.com. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  2. ^ Shocked Austrians ask 'what's wrong with our country?', as they learn the full horror of their third 'girl-in-a-cellar' scandal in two years. Mail on Sunday. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  3. ^ Imprisoned girls 'may never recover'. The Australian. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  4. ^ Unfassbares Familiendrama in Linz: Mutter hat ihre drei Töchter jahrelang eingesperrt!. New AT. Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
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