Stockholm syndrome:The Mystery of Loving an Abuser - Part 1

NATASCHA KAMPUSCH - MOURNED HER CAPTOR'S DEATH

Another case of a woman who formed a bizarre relationship with her captor was Natascha Kampusch. This Austrian girl was abducted when she was just 10 years old. A full 8 years later, she managed to escape. A nationwide hunt was undertaken for the rescue of this little girl, but all efforts failed. That was because her captor, a middle-aged man, kept her confined in a small concrete cell constructed in his garage. Photos of this chamber are pretty horrific, but it seems that she grew used to her situation.

As time went on, Kampusch was allowed to have much more freedom. She was brought upstairs for most of the day, and was even allowed to go outside in the garden pretty much unsupervised. She made very little overt efforts to escape. Her captor did questionable things like make her clean the house half naked, or bathe her himself. He also "cuddled" with her in bed, although Natascha claims there was no actual sexual interaction. Detectives claim that because Natascha's real parents were poor and unhappy, her home with her captive might well have been better than the home she was living in before. But the strangest fact of all is the fact that she publicly mourned his death when he killed himself.