Did anybody else hear about this story?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060906/...a_missing_girl

An Austrian girl who had been held captive for 8 years recently escaped from her captor, who then commited suicide once he realized she was gone.

He's lucky he took himself out, because I can't imagine what he would be looking forward to in prison right about now. This is a horrible story, but a very happy ending.

Apparently she's been able to mix right back into society without any problems.

She had 8 years of her life stolen from her. Apparently her parents had contact with her throughout the 8 years, but for some reason wre unable to get anything done to free her in 8 years time? I must be missing something, but that's what I read.

He might have been able to cover his tracks very well. Or it could have been snal-mail that she sent the parents and things like that. Imagine what has happened in eight years.

Boy, I hadn't heard that her parents knew or had some contact with her. All that I heard was he would take her out sometimes on errrands and shopping and a couple of times she almost escaped.

I don't know ... she seems awfully well-adjusted for someone kept in a windowless cellar that small for 8 years pretty much continually ... I think there's more to this story that will come out eventually, but then I'm a suspicious one

It's amazing the evil that goes on in this world. Makes you wonder sometimes, really.

After 8 years, you think that the girl might display some notions of Stockholm Syndrome. I mean she spent eight years with this man- after a while you'd think that she would learn to at least tolerate him.

It's horrible to hear about these things, but imagine the horrible things we don't hear. I mean, Australia is a developed nation- imagine what goes on in 3rd World Countries? There are huge reports of terrorists that are involved in human trafficking, where they capture tourists even and force them into containers and then smuggle them into other countries and use them for prostitution. The person goes missing here in America, but how the heck would we know to look for them in Liberia or Hungary, etc. That would be the worst life ever- having a normal existence and then suddenly being whisked away to a life as a hooker in some impoverished country. Ouch!

It goes the other way, too, Pianobone. There's people in America that will purchase their concubines or slaves and lock them away in their home. Most of them were tricked into believing that they were going to go to school and work a real job, and then end up a sex slave.

things like this are so sad :(