A 9-year-old boy was rescued this week after being locked in his father’s van in eastern France from 2024, according to the local prosecutor’s office. The boy was hospitalized and his father arrested.
Police were alerted on Monday by a neighbor to “childlike sounds” coming from a van in the town of Hagenbach, near the border between Switzerland and Germanyaccording to a statement from prosecutor Nicolas Heitz provided on Saturday.
After forcing the van open, they found a child “lying in a fetal position, naked, covered with a blanket on a pile of garbage and near excrement,” according to the statement. The child showed clear signs of malnutrition and he could no longer walk, as he had been sitting for a long time.
The boy’s father told investigators that he put him in the van in November 2024 “to protect him”, because his partner wanted to admit him to a psychiatric hospital, according to the prosecutor. The boy was 7 years old at the time.
The prosecutor stated that there was no medical record indicating that the boy had psychiatric problems before his disappearance, and that the boy had received good grades in school.
The boy told investigators that he had “great difficulties” with his father’s partner and that he believed his father “had no choice” but to lock him up, according to the prosecutor. He added that he had not showered since 2024.
The father was preliminarily charged with kidnapping and other crimes, and remained in custody. His partner denied having knowledge that the child was in the vanaccording to the prosecutor. She was preliminarily charged, including charges of failure to render aid to a child in danger, and released under court supervision.
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father’s partner were placed under the guardianship of social services.
The prosecution is investigating whether other people were aware of the minor’s confinement. Friends and family They told investigators that they believed the child was in a psychiatric institution. According to the prosecution, his teachers were informed that he had been transferred to another school.
Authorities did not reveal the names of the victim or his family members.
Town residents contacted by the Associated Press expressed shock Saturday at what happened and said they did not know the boy’s whereabouts, but did not want to go into details.
The prosecutor declined to comment further to the AP as the investigation continues.
