The story of Natascha Kampusch, a girl who was kidnapped and managed to escape 8 years later

Most likely you have never heard the name of Natascha Kampusch. In Austria, this girl’s story made a lot of noise. She was kidnapped at age 10 and held for 3,096 days. Luckily, she managed to escape and used her experience to help other kidnapping victims.

O awesome.club read Natascha’s biography and was really impressed by her bravery. Today, we are going to bring you more details about his life.

On March 2, 1998, a woman called the Vienna police, introduced herself as Brigitta Sirny, and said that her 10-year-old daughter, Natascha, had disappeared. Apparently, she had come back from Hungary with her father a few days earlier from vacation. On Monday she went to school and never came back.

The woman called the school, but they said that Natascha had not been there that day. It was then that her mother decided to speak to the police.

Authorities began the search immediately. The first thing they did was inspect the route between her house and the school. They used trained dogs to search, but found no sign of her.

The police began to think that the girl had been kidnapped, so they began interviewing possible witnesses. A 12-year-old student, when reporting to the police, stated that she saw her being forcibly placed in a white van.

It was then that the officers decided to do a search that matched the description of the vehicle. In addition, searches were carried out in Hungary, from where she had arrived days earlier. As she had the documents, she could cross the border, whether willingly or not.

At that moment, former coach Wolfgang Přiklopil, from the city of Strasshof an der Nordbahn and who had a white van, fell into the sights of the police. The man explained that the car had been used to transport construction material. Detectives carried out a normal questionnaire and found that on March 2nd he was alone at home.

Given that the police had to check approximately 700 cars and interview approximately 700 people, they didn’t attach much importance to Přiklopil.

He was quickly forgotten and the police did not discover that in a secret room of 5 m² Wolfgang hid a 10 year old girl, completely terrified.

movie image 3096 Days of Captivity about the story of Natascha Kampusch

The room where Natascha was staying was eight feet deep. It had no windows, only a fan, and was closed off by two doors, one of which was very heavy.

Photo of the room where Natascha was held hostage, taken by the police

The room was soundproofed. So all of Natascha’s attempts to make noise and get the neighbors’ attention were futile.

The only way into the room was through Přiklopil’s garage. The first door was hidden behind an ugly closet.

House of Wolfgang Přiklopil

For 6 months Natascha was banned from leaving the makeshift prison. When Wolfgang felt that she was beginning to trust him, started to allow short walks🇧🇷 The room was decorated as she wanted: it had a television, a blackboard, a table and a chair. All this time, the kidnapper brought her many books, newspapers and games.

In 2004, the detectives in charge of the search went in the wrong direction. They thought she was related to Frenchman Michel Fourniret, convicted of the same crime. But no evidence was found linking him to her.

Meanwhile, Přiklopil increasingly believed in the perfection of his crime. In 2005, he relaxed a bit and not only let Natascha roam around the house, but in the garden as well. After a year, he allowed her to swim in the neighbors’ pool.

Rumor has it that he took the girl, then 17, on a ski trip, always taking care not to let her escape.

Přiklopil’s goals were not certain. According to Natascha, he kidnapped her so she could do housework.

The kidnapper controlled her schedule and did his best to keep her studying. At the same time, he said that the room’s exit had explosives, making her not go out alone. Sometimes he threatened to kill her. He often used brute force to reassure her.

However, Natascha managed to escape. This happened in 2008, when Přiklopil asked her to vacuum his car. As she did so, he was distracted by a phone call.

Natascha left the vacuum cleaner running and ran far away. She knocked on the door of a house and an elderly woman greeted her and called the police.

The police tried to arrest Přiklopil, but he died during the escape. Natascha cried when she found out. When that happened, people started to think she had Stockholm syndrome. However, she denied it.

Natascha’s story received a lot of publicity. For a long time she was afraid to talk about her experience. Little by little, she opened up to journalists and came to publish the autobiographical book 3096 days which served as the inspiration for the film.

Furthermore, she debuted on a television show and went on to show the audience that she had recovered from the psychological trauma and that she was slowly trusting people more.

Part of the money raised (25 thousand euros) was given to a woman named Elisabeth Fritzlwho for many years lived as a prisoner of her own father.

Furthermore, Natascha has become a member of an organization that fights for the ethical treatment of animals. She even wrote a letter to the Austrian Minister of Agriculture in which she said: “If animals could run away, they would do it, as I would, because life in captivity is full of hardship. The decision to release communicative, intelligent and wonderful creatures from their cages is yours.”

Currently, Natascha decides to paint, studies photography and grows plants. When talking about the time she was a prisoner, she states that, despite being very difficult, today she lives as she wants and tries not to think that she has lost her childhood.

The house where she was held prisoner was given to her. Natascha told reporters that she keeps the house clean because it was where she spent part of her childhood.

Crimes like this are always very shocking. Luckily, Natascha’s case had a happy ending. She managed to resume her life and showed with her example that it is possible to think of good deeds even after living moments of such cruelty. That’s why it’s so important that this news gets out. What emotions did you feel while reading this story? How do you think you would react if you were in Natascha’s shoes? Comment!