9-year-old boy rescued after nearly two years locked inside father’s utility van
A 9-year-old boy has been rescued in eastern France after authorities say he spent nearly two years locked inside his father’s utility van, enduring conditions investigators described as “shocking and inhumane.”
The child was discovered earlier this week in the town of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany, after a neighbor alerted police to “sounds of a child” coming from the parked vehicle. When officers forced the van open, they found the boy naked, malnourished, and curled in a fetal position on a pile of trash, surrounded by waste.
Prosecutors said the child had been confined since November 2024, when he was just 7 years old. He was so physically weakened from prolonged confinement that he could no longer walk and had reportedly not bathed since late 2024. The boy told investigators he was fed twice daily and left water, but had been forced to relieve himself in bottles and bags.
Authorities say the father, 43, claimed he locked the child in the van “to protect him” from being placed in a psychiatric facility by his partner. However, officials noted there was no medical history suggesting the boy had any psychiatric condition, and he had previously performed well in school.
The father has been detained and faces preliminary charges including kidnapping and unlawful detention. His female partner has denied knowing the boy was being held in the van but has been charged with failing to assist a minor in danger and released under judicial supervision.
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father’s partner were put in the care of social services, according to The Associated Press.
The case has stunned the quiet hamlet where neighbors said they were unaware of the boy’s fate and believed he had been sent elsewhere. Some reported occasionally hearing noises from the van but were told it was a pet.
The French prosecutor’s office is investigating whether others were aware of the locked-up boy. Friends and family told investigators they thought the boy was in a psychiatric institution. His teachers were told he had transferred to a different school, according to the prosecutor’s office.
Authorities did not release the names of the victim or family members, according to CBS News.
The boy is now hospitalized and receiving care, while authorities continue investigating whether others may have known about his prolonged confinement. Two other children connected to the family have been placed under social services protection.
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(Sources: CBS News, The Associated Press, The Mirror, ABC News)
(Cover photo of Hagenbach, France, Image credit: X)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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