Vienna - Austrian authorities on Sunday confirmed investigations in the case of a 42-year-old woman and four of her children held prisoner by the woman's own father in a basement dungeon for more than 20 years. "Our investigators are on site. We are investigating in all directions," a police spokesman of the province of Lower Austria told Deutsche-Presse Agentur dpa.
Police, who believe the woman was held captive by her father and severely abused, declined any further comment.
In what amounts to a very severe case of incest, the man is likely to be the father of four of his daughter's children, Austrian state broadcaster ORF said.
Authorities began searching for the woman when a 19-year-old girl, believed to be her daughter, was hospitalized in the town Amstetten last weekend.
Amstetten's authorities had been originally told by the grandparents that the 19-year-old, whose name was given as Kerstin in earlier reports, was left with them in a very severe condition on April 19 by her mother.
The woman was last seen by the authorities in 1984, since then no data of her whereabouts existed.
They were also shown a letter by the woman saying that nobody should look for her, as this would increase the suffering of her and her children, making the case even more mysterious.
According to ORF, authorities originally believed the woman had joined a religious sect, as the letter hinted at seclusion and refusal of education for the children.
The woman, who was released from captivity, and her remaining children are being looked after by therapists, reports said.
According to earlier reports, she was said to have six children, three of whom were attending local schools.
Her oldest daughter is in a very severe condition and remains in intensive care. Hospital officials in Amstetten declined to comment on the case and said no details about the girl's condition would be divulged for the time being.
DNA samples of all involved had been taken to establish a fuller picture of the case, police officials were quoted as saying.
Their plight was reminiscent of 19-year-old Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian girl who escaped her kidnapper after eight years in a basement dungeon in summer 2006.
