Natascha Kampusch

Name: Natascha Maria Kampusch

Name of Kidnapper: Wolfgang Priklopil 

Age When Abducted: 10 years

Date of Abduction: 2 March 1998

Place of Abduction: Vienna, Austria

Date of Escape: 23 August 2006 (She was abducted for 8 years!)

Some Insight: 

The 10-year-old Kampusch left home on 2 March 1998, but failed to arrive at school or come home. A 12-year-old witness reported having seen her being dragged into a white minibus by two men. A massive police effort followed in which 776 minivans were examined including that of her kidnapper, Přiklopil, but they fell for his fake alibi. 

Captivity:

During the eight years of her captivity, Kampusch was held in a small cellar underneath Přiklopil's garage. The entrance was concealed behind a cupboard. The cellar only had 5 square metres (54 sq ft) of space. The room had no windows and was soundproof. For the first six months of her captivity, Kampusch was not allowed to leave the chamber at any time, and for several years of her captivity she was not allowed to leave the tiny space at night. Afterwards, she spent increasing amounts of time upstairs in the rest of the house, but each night was sent back to the chamber to sleep, as well as while Přiklopil was at work. In later years, she was seen outside in the garden alone. After her eighteenth birthday, she was allowed to leave the house with Přiklopil, but her kidnapper threatened to kill her if she made any noise. He later took her on a skiing trip to a resort near Vienna for a few hours.

Přiklopil gave her books, so she educated herself, and according to a colleague of his, she appeared happy. Kampusch also attempted to make noise during her early years of captivity by throwing bottles of water against the walls. She said that on trips out with Přiklopil, she had attempted to attract attention, but in vain.

Escape: 

The 18-year-old Kampusch reappeared on 23 August 2006. She was cleaning and vacuuming in the garden. Someone called Přiklopil on his mobile phone. Because of the vacuuming noise, he walked away to take the call. Kampusch left the vacuum cleaner running and ran away, unseen by Přiklopil. Kampusch ran for some 200 metres through gardens and a street, jumping fences, and asking passers-by to call the police. After about five minutes, she knocked on the window of a 71-year-old neighbour known as Inge T, saying, "I am Natascha Kampusch. The neighbour called the police, who arrived at 1:04 pm. Later, Kampusch was taken to the police station,

About the Kidnapper:

After her escape, he commited suicide. He showed no signs of a troubled childhood but he had one for a short period of time during the Cold War, which was when he built the dungeon that he held Natascha captive in. He didn't have any lovers/marriages and lived alone. He was a techinician and used his knowledge to escape from the crutches of the police. His lonliness is assumed as a possible cause as to why he carried out the kidnapping.

Interesting Point To Note:

Natascha showed signs of Stockholm Syndrome after she was found. (A syndrome where the victim feels bad and sympathises for the perpetuator and even supports them against any outside force such as the law or police.