Katie Beers and other harrowing survivals in secret lairs
Natascha Kampusch
Credit: Getty Images
Natascha Kampusch was kept in a carefully concealed room beneath her kidnapper's garage in Austria for nearly nine years. "I suffered from claustrophobia and I thought I was going crazy in there," Kampusch said after her escape. "I was very distraught and very angry." Kampusch, who was 10 years old when she was abducted by Wolfgang Priklopil, said she threw water bottles at the wall in frustration and despair in the beginning of her captivity. On Aug. 23, 2006, Kampusch was vacuuming her captor's car when he received a cell phone call. Distracted by the noise, he walked away. Kampusch seized the opportunity and fled. Later that afternoon, Priklopil threw himself in front of a train.
