Shivangi Sinha
In April 2009, when Kerstin Fritzl was admitted to the hospital, the medical staff sensed something was amiss. With little information about her medical history and Josef Fritzl — the man who brought her in — offering few details, suspicions grew. It was only when the police investigated further that they uncovered the horrifying truth: Josef had imprisoned Kerstin, her siblings, and their mother, Elisabeth Fritzl, in a cellar beneath his home since 1984. The latter was Josef’s own daughter, and he fathered her children. In Lifetime’s ‘Girl in the Basement,’ Judd Nelson convincingly plays the role of Don Cody, the menacing father. The film draws inspiration from Elisabeth Fritzl’s harrowing case and offers a stark portrayal of the atrocities committed by Josef.
Josef Fritzl Deceived His Daughter and Kept Her Imprisoned for 24 Years
Josef Fritzl was born on April 9, 1935, in Amstetten, Austria, to Josef Sr. and Maria Fritzl. He was their only child and later referred to himself as an “alibi child,” implying he believed his mother had him solely to avoid suspicions or rumors about her fertility. His mother was a working woman, and when Josef was just four years old, his father abandoned the family. In 1956, Josef married 17-year-old Rosemarie, and together, they started a family. They raised seven children in a home in his hometown of Amstetten, Austria. Josef pursued a career as an engineer after graduating from HTL Technical College. He worked at Voestalpine in Linz, Austria, followed by a position at a construction-material company, and eventually established himself as a technical equipment salesman.
In 1972, he also purchased a guesthouse and an adjacent campsite at Lake Mondsee, which he rented out to various tenants as a source of supplementary income. It was later alleged that Josef abused several of his children during their childhood. He also had a criminal history. In 1967, he broke into a nurse’s home and assaulted her, and he was also a suspect in a case of indecent exposure. That same year, Josef was arrested and sentenced to 18 months in prison, of which he served 12. Under Austrian law, his criminal record was later expunged. Additionally, Josef is suspected of being involved in at least three murders between the 1960s and 1980s. On August 28, 1984, Josef Fritzl lured his 18-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, into the basement under the pretense of helping him carry a door. Unbeknownst to her, he had constructed a secret cellar with the intention of imprisoning her.
After rendering her unconscious using ether, he locked her in the cell, where he held her captive for 24 years. He later said that he had done so because she was not following the rules of the house and needed to be disciplined. During this time, he fathered seven children with Elisabeth. Three of the children remained with Elisabeth in the cramped conditions of the cellar, while the other three were raised by her mother, Rosemarie, who lived upstairs in the same house. He had placed these children outside the family home, along with notes he forced Elisabeth to write, asking her parents to care for them. To further cover up his crimes, he told police investigating Elisabeth’s disappearance that she had likely joined a cult. He even staged a phone call to Rosemarie, though it is believed he used a recording of Elisabeth’s voice to maintain the deception.
Elisabeth Fritzl Gave a Detailed Account of the Abuse She Suffered at Josef Fritzl’s Hands
Josef Fritzl’s family noted that he would visit the basement every day, claiming he was working on manufacturing plans. He prohibited anyone else from entering the basement, maintaining strict secrecy. Meanwhile, he manipulated Elisabeth and her children by instilling fear, warning them that they would be “gassed” if they tried to escape. He also claimed that the electronically locked door would electrocute them if they attempted to open it. He regularly brought supplies to the cellar but also subjected Elisabeth to repeated abuse, often in front of her children. In 1993, When she asked for an expansion of the basement, he made her and her children dig the soil with their hands to make a little more space. The ordeal began to unravel on April 19, 2008, when Kerstin, Elisabeth’s eldest daughter, became critically ill. Despite his initial reluctance, Josef eventually agreed to take her to the hospital.
After 24 years of imprisonment, Josef allowed Elisabeth to leave the cellar briefly to assist in taking Kerstin to the hospital. However, he forced her to return to the cellar. At the hospital, he claimed to be Kerstin’s father and, when questioned about her medical history, presented a note written by Elisabeth. The hospital staff found his behavior suspicious and alerted the police. This prompted authorities to reopen the case of missing persons filed for Elisabeth back in 1984. On April 26, 2008, after persistent requests from Elisabeth, he released her and her two sons, Stefan and Felix, who had been held captive with her. He brought them upstairs into the house and told his wife that Elisabeth had chosen to return home after her long absence.
Josef Fritzl is Serving His Sentence at an Austrian Prison Today
The police received an anonymous tip and brought both Elisabeth and Josef in for questioning. After being assured that she would never have to see her father again, she provided a detailed account of the horrific abuse and imprisonment she had endured. Josef was immediately arrested and charged with multiple crimes, including the murder by negligence of his infant son (and grandson) Michael, as well as enslavement, incest, rape, coercion, and false imprisonment of Elisabeth. Initially, he pleaded not guilty to two charges: murder and grievous assault. During the trial, one of his sons testified against him, though no other family members did. On the second day of the trial, Elisabeth attended the proceedings, and her presence reportedly had a profound impact on Josef. By the third day, he changed his plea to guilty on all charges.
On March 19, 2009, Josef was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for 15 years. Allegations have also surfaced that after his mother moved into his home in 1959, he imprisoned her in the attic until her death in 1980. In May 2017, he legally changed his name to Josef Mayrhoff to allegedly avoid being picked on in prison. During a 2019 interview, he appeared to show no remorse for his crimes. In September 2021, a decision was made to transfer him from a psychiatric detention facility to a regular prison. However, this decision was overturned when prosecutors raised concerns that it could make him eligible for parole. In January 2024, Fritzl applied to be moved into a nursing home due to his declining health, but the request was denied. In the same month, his petition to be transferred to a regular prison was approved and later upheld. Now 89 years old, Josef Fritzl is serving his sentence at the Garsten Abbey prison in Austria.
Read More: Girl in the Basement: Filming Locations and Cast Details
