On the surface, Josef Fritzl appeared to be your average caring, benevolent husband and father. Living in the suburbs of Amstetten, Austria, Fritzl worked as an electrician who was described by his peers as being "intelligent, hard-working and polite." He had even adopted three of his grandchildren in order to provide a more suitable home environment for them to grow up in. It seems the only thing keeping Josef Fritzl from his "Father of the Year" award are his multiple convictions of rape, incest, coercion, enslavement, and murder by neglect.
In April of 2008, Josef's 42-year-old daughter, Elisabeth, testified that she had spent that last 24 years in a concealed, underground prison built for her by her father. During that time, she had constantly been assaulted and raped incestuously, resulting in the birth of seven children. Three of the children were taken from Elisabeth and adopted by Josef and his wife, Rosemarie. The other three children (ages 19, 18, and 5) had never seen the light of day until they were rescued by police. With no medical resources available in the dungeon, one child died shortly after birth from respiratory problems. Fritzl told his wife and police that Elizabeth had run away from home in 1984, and Josef forced Elisabeth to write letters telling her parents not to come looking for her. The police were alerted to the existence of Fritzl's incarcerated family only after the 19-year-old daughter became critically ill, and Fritzl was persuaded to take her to a local hospital. Elizabeth had hidden a note on her daughter explaining her dire circumstances, and the medical staff alerted local police, who launched an investigation which resulted in the discovery of the dungeon. Fritzl is currently serving a life-term in prison and his wife and the rest of his children have since changed their names and moved to different locations in Europe.
Although many Americans would like to believe that this type of monstrous behavior only occurs in distant, Transylvanian Euro-destinations, similar atrocities have been committed in our own backyard. In 2009, the nation was shocked when Jaycee Dugard resurfaced after disappearing for 18 years. Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, had abducted Dugard at the age of 11 in 1991. Dugard was kept in a tent in an enclosed area in Garrido's backyard. Garrido fathered two girls- now 12 and 16- with Dugard during her captivity. Phillip and Nancy have pled not guilty to charges of kidnapping, rape and false imprisonment and the court case against them is ongoing.
There are similar cases found in every corner of the world. Some end with the children being discovered, many do not. Even when the missing children are found and the captors are brought to justice, there is no happy ending for the victims of these crimes. The physical and psychological damage inflicted on these young children is often too severe to hope for a return to normalcy. The worst villains in this world are the ones whose damage cannot be undone. Their enduring malice haunts generations long after they are gone and their stories shake the foundation of our faith in humanity. Their perverse sense of reality is infectious to their victims and we can only hope that their existence is confined to the front pages of distant newspapers, far removed from our own families and friends.
This is a prime example of an evil act. It reminds me of a quote from the article we read on evil that “There is no understanding of evil just recognition of what it is”. I like that you pointed out that his actions will have consequences for years/generations to come. I think a component of an act being evil is the longevity of its consequences.