Sex dungeon dad described as shrewd tyrant

He paid his fishing dues
There was no sign of the man investigators say confessed to tossing the body of one of his offspring in a furnace after the child died in infancy.

Social workers visited the house about 20 times to check on the three children Fritzl and his wife were raising upstairs, and "there was no reason to suspect that something was wrong," said Josef Schloegl, head of the Amstetten district court.

Much about Fritzl remains a mystery — even to police, who say he clammed up this week.

He wasn't active in community or church groups. Even his fishing club says he was something of a question mark.

Fritzl paid his dues, and "there was never a problem with him," said club treasurer Reinhard Kern.

"Whether he actually went fishing or not, how am I to know? Maybe it was an alibi."

More from msnbc.com News Quiz: Which country is near bankruptcy? Dems, GOP battle over voter fraud Can China save the global economy? Gut Check: Is financial crisis affecting your job? Red Tape: AT&T customer caught in 'spam-22'

MORE FROM EUROPE

Europe Section Front

Ex-Finnish president wins peace Nobel Russia's Putin gets tiger cub for his birthday The stunning collapse of Iceland NATO agrees on Afghan drug role Europe Section Front   Add Europe headlines to your news reader: