in the small town of Amsterdam Austria life had always seemed quiet and ordinary neighbors knew each other children played in the streets and the fritzel family was no different Joseph fritzell was respected a Stern yet seemingly dedicated father who worked hard to provide for his family his wife Rosemary was a devoted mother always bustling about their home making sure everything was in its place but beneath the surface of this normaly a dark and horrifying secret lay hidden on August 28th 1,984 the fritzell family was forever changed 18-year-old Elizabeth fritzel had disappeared Without a Trace Rosemary was frantic pacing the house and calling out for her daughter but Elizabeth was nowhere to be found as the hours turned into days her worry grew into Panic the local police were brought in and a missing person's report was filed for weeks the town was on edge Whispers of what might have happened to Elizabeth spreading like wildfire had she been abducted had she run away the uncertainty noded at everyone but especially at her mother who feared the worst then just when hope was beginning to Wang a letter arrived it was from Elizabeth in the note she claimed that she had left of her own accord tired of the strict life at home and seeking Freedom she mentioned joining a religious cult something she had spoken about before but never seriously the letter however seemed genuine and with it the police's investigation came to a halt they accepted that Elizabeth had left on her own and over time so did Rosemary though her heart remained heavy with unanswered questions Joseph fritzell meanwhile appeared as distraught as any father would be in such a situation he spoke to the police shrugging helplessly and claiming ignorance of Elizabeth's whereabouts he suggested she had indeed joined a cult an idea that seemed to fit with her sudden departure the town eventually moved on the fritzel family adjusting to life without Elizabeth though a shadow of sadness lingered but what no one knew what no one could have possibly imagined was that Elizabeth was not far away in fact she was closer than anyone could have guessed imprisoned just 20 ft below the family's home on that fateful August day Joseph had lured his daughter into the basement under the pretense of needing help with a renovation he had been preparing for this moment for years meticulously designing a hidden Cellar beneath their home once Elizabeth was inside he quickly overpowered her knocking her unconscious and sealing her fate for the next 24 years Elizabeth lived in darkness the small dirt wals seller became her world a place where time lost all meaning Joseph her father and captor controlled every aspect of her life he brought her food and water just enough to keep her alive but little else the isolation was suffocating the darkness oppressive and when the visits turned from rare to regular the true horror of Elizabeth's situation became clear Joseph who had begun abusing her years before now had her completely under his control and he used that power in the most monstrous ways in 1988 Elizabeth gave birth to her first child a baby girl she named Kirsten the birth was both a miracle and a curse it brought life into a place of death but it also meant that another innocent Soul was trapped in the cellar 2 years later a second child Stephan was born these children would grow up