Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian schoolgirl who disappeared at the age of 10 became a media celebrity when she was found eight years later in August 2006 (AP)
- Natascha Kampusch, an Austrian schoolgirl who disappeared at the age of 10 became a media celebrity when she was found eight years later in August 2006 (AP)
- Natascha's kidnapper, Wolfgang Priklopil, threw himself in front of a train shortly after she escaped. (AP)
- Another Austrian, Elisabeth Fritzl was held captive by her sadistic father Josef in a cellar beneath their family home for 24 years. (AP)
- Elisabeth was only discovered after she slipped a note in the pocket of her daughter Kerstin's pocket when she went for treatment at a local hospital. Josef Frizl was sentenced to life in jail in March this year. (AP)
- The disappearance of Shannon Matthews, 9, from her home in Great Britain sparked a massive police investigation. Shannon was found with a relative, Michael Donovan, who had been acting in cahoots with the girl's mother Karen, as part of a plan to pocket newspaper reward money. Both Donovan and Karen Matthews were sentenced to eight years for kidnapping, false imprisonment and obstruction of justice (AP).
- Danielle Cramer, 15, who went missing in June 2006 was discovered by police a year later, locked in a secret cupboard under some stairs in West Hartford, Connecticut. Police had gone to the house to arrest Adam Gault, 41, whom they suspected of murder, but instead managed to free Danielle. (AP)
- Shawn Hornbeck, who had gone missing in October 2002, was found in a St Louis apartment. (AP)
- The police had been searching for searching for missing 13-year-old William Ownby in the same area that Shawn Hornbeck had gone missing, when both boys were found alive. (AP)
- Michael Devlin was arrested and charged with kidnapping Shawn and William. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to life imprisonment. (AP)
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Comments
i think these people are sick why would you take a child away from there family i don't think it should even be a question they should get the electic chair
I agree with the above post, it takes a special brand of slime to hurt anyone let alone a child. Just think how these children must plead with their captors to let them free and to stop hurting them. What sicko can look at innocent eyes and not care. Today they just announced that 10 year old Zahra Claire Baker is definitely gone and I can't stop crying. How can we as a world community stop failing these children. I finally understand the meaning of it takes a village.
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