The family of Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man accused of imprisoning and raping his daughter in his dungeon for 24 years, released a statement for the public in order to express gratitude for the support they received.

Fritzl’s daughter, Elizabeth, five of her children and her mother, Rosemarie, wrote a poster thanking people for their support. The message of the poster reads: “We, the whole family, would like to use this occasion to thank you all for your sympathy with our fate. Your compassion really helps us to cope with this difficult time and shows us that there are also good and honest people,” BBC reports. “We hope that a time will come for us when we can lead a normal life again,” the message continues.

Fritzl is currently held in prison in the Lower Austria regional capital of St. Poelten after the case that shocked the world emerged nearly two weeks ago.

“I am no monster,” Josef Fritzl recently said though his lawyer Rudolf Mayer, according to the German tabloid newspaper Bild. “I could have killed all of them, and no one would have known. No one would have ever found about it,” he added. “Kerstin would not be alive today if it wasn’t for me. I have made sure that she gets to a hospital.”

The incestuous relationship with his 42-year-old daughter Elisabeth, allegedly produced seven children. Three of them, Kerstin, 19, Stefan 18, and Felix, five, had not seen sunlight until they were released by police officers last month after Kerstin was taken to hospital with an undiagnosed disease.