In Vienna, on March 2, 1998, a 10 -year -old girl stands in front of her house's door.
Today is a big day for her because, first time in her life, her parents are allowing her to go to school alone.
She puts on her red jacket and adjusts her multicolored backpack on her back.
She pets her cats to reassure herself before leaving.
The fresh air tickles her face as she opens the front door.
The neighborhood is slowly waking up and the cobbled streets stretch out before her.
She navigates her way through the apartment buildings.
When she reaches the pedestrian crossing, she stops and observes the vehicles and pedestrians.
Reality suddenly hits her.
The vastness of the world around her overwhelms her.
Tears blur her vision, and she feels a lurking panic that threatens to engulf her.
It's as if everything has become too big.
She feels an irresistible urge to escape, to disappear into the shadows, but her desire to prove that she's become a big girl prevails.
She quickly wipes away her tears, takes a deep breath, and takes the plunge, crossing the street.
She continues on her way to school, passing through a residential neighborhood.
Her attention is drawn to a wide delivery van, which stands out in this landscape.
A man stands near the vehicle, lost in his thoughts.
Her steps slow down, her heart beats faster.
An inner voice whispers to her to move away, to cross the street, to run away.
Yet, her feet seem to act on their own, inexorably drawing her closer to the strange character.
Then in a flash, everything changes.
Before she can even react, he grabs her, lifts her, and pushes her inside the white van.
Reality distorts, everything becomes blurry.
Darkness engulfs her, the door closes behind her.
Hello, I'm Fabrice, welcome to Fabulous Destinies.
In this episode, I'm going to tell you a dark story.
About a young Austrian girl who disappeared for many years.
This case made headlines and even inspired the 2015 film Room, directed by Lenny Abrahamson.
Its name, the Natasha Kempersch case, from the abduction of the young girl to its consequences on her present life, discover her terrible fate.
Natasha Maria Kempersch was born on February 17, 1988, in Vienna, Austria.
She grew up with her parents, Brigitte Serni and Ludwig Koch.
After their separation, she mainly lived with her mother while still regularly seeing her father.
The morning of March 2, 1998, marked a tragic turning point in her life.
Natasha was suddenly kidnapped in a white van.
The perpetrator of this terrible act was Wolfgang Pricklepil, an electronics engineer.
For eight long years, Wolfgang kept Natasha captive in a small cellar, barely measuring five square meters.
The young girl was kept in his home in Strashof, a suburb of Vienna.
This windowless room had its entrance carefully concealed behind a closet.
During the initial months of her captivity, Natasha lived in fear and precariousness.
She couldn't even leave this cramped space.
Wolfgang forced her to call him master, but Natasha refused.
As a punishment, he beat her and deprived her of food.
Days passed slowly under Wolfgang's washful eye, and gradually Natasha managed to access the rest of the house.
Her daily routine was the same for eight years.
Getting up, preparing a captor's breakfast, doing household chores, cooking, watching television, reading, and conversing with Wolfgang.
As soon as he left the house, he locked her back in the cellar.
Gradually, he allowed her to go out.
She could venture into the yard, but only at night, always under the watchful eye of her captor.
Over the years, Wolfgang became more flexible until the fateful day.
In the late morning of August 23, 2006, the sun bathes the small yard where Wolfgang's car is parked.
With confidence, he grabs the vacuum cleaner, plugs it in, and firmly instructs Natasha to clean the interior of the vehicle.
Focused on her task, she obeys his orders.
While she is busy, Wolfgang's cell phone rings.
Swiftly, he moves away from the vehicle to answer it.
An unusual spark lights up his face as the conversation goes on.
Caught up in the exchange, Wolfgang moves further away, his attention now absorbed by the call.
It is at this moment that Natasha alone sees an unexpected opportunity before her.
For the first time, her captor diverts his gaze from his victim.
Frozen near the van, the vacuum cleaner still in hand, Natasha becomes aware of the situation.
She realizes that this might be her only chance to escape.
Gently, she places the vacuum cleaner in the vehicle.
Fear momentarily paralyzes her, but then Natasha regains her composure.
She rushes towards the open yard gate.
For a brief moment, she hesitates, left or right.
Where can she find help?
Instinctively, she moves forward at full speed.
Her heart beats so loudly that it resonates in her head.
The tumultuous noise fills her ears, mixed with the echo of her own breath.
Tears threaten to flow down her cheeks.
Slipping into the outside world, she feels both liberated and estranged.
Doubts assail her. Will people believe her?
Will she find help?
Trembling, she stops for a moment and clings to her railing along the sidewalk.
There, a new wave of apprehension engulfs her.
Her captor must have noticed her absence.
Uncertain, she retreats, passes through a gate to enter a neighboring yard.
A small cottage stands before her.
Natasha calls for help, but there is no response.
Undeterred, she resumes her run.
She jumps over her hedges, moving from one yard to another at full speed.
Finally, someone appears at a window.
It's an elderly woman, and instinctively Natasha rushes towards her.
She implores in a trembling voice, Please help me.
Call the police. I've been kidnapped.
You need to call the police.
Called to the scene, the police take Natasha to the station to keep her safe, and the nightmare slowly comes to an end.
Investigators manage to identify Natasha through distinctive elements, such as a unique scar on her body.
Her passport is also found in Wolfgang's hideout.
DNA analysis also confirms the identity of the missing girl.
On August 23, 2006, the day of her liberation, the 18 -year -old woman is very pale and weighs only 38 kilograms, at 1 .57 meters tall.
On that same day, Wolfgang chooses to end his life by throwing himself under a train.
Since her liberation, the young woman has embarked on a career on Austrian television in December 2007.
Her show, titled Natasha Campus Discuses With, involves conversations with a daily guest on various topics.
After graduating from high school, she continued her studies in psychology and college.
In collaboration with two journalists, she went on to write her autobiography, published in September 2010 under the title 3096 Days, which was later adapted into a film in 2013.
The publication was followed by another book, Ten Years of Freedom, released on August 12, 2016.
In order to prevent morbid tourism, Natasha decided to purchase the house where she had been held captive, abused, and violated.
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