Zoe Limbers

Zoe Patricia Limbers (October 26, 1928 - May 24, 2023) was a woman who is known for her abduction and captivity that lasted 88 years.

## Background

Zoe Patricia Limbers was born on October 26, 1928 on Southwest Chief to Patrick and Martha Limbers. Her older sister, Mary, who was 6 at the time of Zoe's kidnapping, later became a typography writer whose grandson was Edward Johnson.

Wladyslav Polka was born on January 13, 1904 to Henri and Jeanne Polka, both French immigrants that were cousins. Henri, who had a serious drug problem, left Jeanne and Wladyslav alone on the streets of Warsaw. Wladyslav once assaulted a young boy when he refused to donate. He was sentenced to life in prison in 1919. He escaped in 1923 and kept assaulting people who passed by, most of them being young boys and girls.

## Abduction

Zoe was playing in her garden on October 25, 1932, when a vintage Ford parked near her. Immediately, the driver, Wladyslav Polka and his wife Maria Polka tased her into the car before driving off. Her older sister Mary rode her bike in an attempt to rescue Zoe, but she couldn't stop the car in time.

## Captivity

The car reached the Polkas' house 4 days later on October 29 in the suburbs of Montreal, Canada. Wladyslav then proceeded to tase her again to the floor, saying "You will now be known as Nicole." She was forced to take a shower with Wladyslav, then dhe was locked inside a soundproof box called the Locker of Losers, ironically shortened LOL, which was bought in an iron store in Nunavut. She received a golden bear as a gift on November 2, however she was manipulated further. On November 10, she was forced to shower with Wladyslav. On her sixth birthday in 1934, she had a miscarriage. On Easter Sunday 1935, she was allowed to watch television.

### Pregnancy and children

On January 15, 1935, Maria approached Zoe in her tent and said: "We think you're pregnant." In a later interview, Zoe said she immediately felt contractions and gave birth to twins, whom she named Jamie and Bradie. In her later hearing, she said she did everything to protect the children from Wladyslav. She homeschooled her children and taught them important life lessons. Her only son and final child, Henry was born in 1939.

### Missed attempts to save Zoe

In 1938, police raided the Polkas' resort under suspicion of drug use. Zoe, who was just 2 meters away from the scene, could not be found.

In 1965, 26-year old Henry briefly escaped the Polkas and his mother and told police. However, police could not get to the scene, because of traffic.

### Later captivity

In 1975, Zoe had her first grandchild, a boy named Henry Jr. (son of Henry) At the same time, trained Doberman Pinschers joined the household. By 1980, Zoe was allowed to go outside the household only with Wladyslav,

### Death of Wladyslav and reappearance

Wladyslav died in 1994 of an illness. Maria, who was 80 at the time, kept false imprisoning Zoe and continued appearing on MIT shows, educating students about law and financial research. On her 106th birthday on December 8, 2020, she was welcomed by a crowd at Berkeley University, bringing the women *[Jamie and Bradie]* with her. On December 10, police got suspicious, and Maria immediately confessed to Zoe's kidnapping. Zoe was released on December 11, along with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

## Aftermath

Maria Polka got a 20,000$ fine for child manipulation and served 2 years in prison. She died barely a month into her sentence.

Zoe's memoir, *No Life, Only Captive* was released in 2022, where she discusses her captivity.

Zoe died peacefully in her sleep on May 24, 2023 at the age of 94.