VIENNA, Austria - Have Josef Fritzl's alleged incest dungeon victims given paparazzi the slip?
Authorities won't say, but Austria was abuzz Wednesday with reports that the daughter Fritzl imprisoned for 24 years and their six surviving offspring have moved to a secret location deep in the Alps where they can continue their recovery.
Security has eased up outside the psychiatric clinic near Amstetten, west of Vienna, where Elisabeth Fritzl, her children and Fritzl's wife have been getting treatment and counselling since those held captive gained their freedom in April.
The daily Oesterreich claimed the family has sought refuge somewhere in the Alps -- possibly in the Salzkammergut, a popular resort area outside Salzburg nestled in mountains studded with pristine lakes and unspoiled forests.
The region, named for its former imperial salt mines dating to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, offers plenty of crisp fresh air and recuperative mineral baths "for those dungeon victims whose respiratory systems were injured,'' it said.
Christoph Herbst, a lawyer representing the victims, was not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
But the speculation touched off a flurry of calls to radio talk shows and some indignation in the blogosphere, where there were dozens of pleas to paparazzi to respect the victims' privacy.
Fritzl, 73, is expected to go on trial before the end of the year. He is being held in St. Poelten, west of Vienna, pending formal charges.
Paparazzi have laid siege to the Amstetten-Mauer clinic over the past three months, sometimes using disguises in a so-far-unsuccessful attempt to get photos of the victims.
Police with attack dogs reinforced security at the entrance to the sprawling clinic grounds after one photographer tried to scale a hospital wall.
Austrian media have published unconfirmed reports of other incidents involving photographers who purportedly dressed up as police officers, climbed trees and pretended to be bird-watchers.
One allegedly even tried to hide beneath a large chunk of the clinic lawn as part of the mad scramble to get the first victim photo. The potential payout? Up to $1 million, the Niederoesterreichische Nachrichten newspaper said.
Judicial officials say the victims' identities almost certainly will be changed to help protect their privacy.
Investigators say Fritzl confessed to taking Elisabeth prisoner shortly after she turned 18, sexually abusing her and fathering seven children with her, including one whose body he allegedly tossed into a furnace after it died in infancy. They say subsequent DNA tests confirmed he is the surviving children's biological father.
