A 9-year-old boy was rescued this week after living locked in his father's utility van in eastern France since November 2024, according to local authorities. The child was found in a malnourished and emaciated state, unable to walk due to prolonged confinement. His father, 43, was detained, and the boy was hospitalized.
Police were alerted by a neighbor to sounds of a child coming from the van on Monday in the village of Hagenbach, near the borders of Switzerland and Germany. Upon forcing the van open, officers discovered the boy lying in a fetal position, naked, and covered by a blanket atop a mound of trash and excrement. The child had not showered since 2024 and had been fed twice daily by his father, who claimed he locked him in to protect him from his partner's plans to send the boy to a psychiatric hospital.
The boy told investigators he had 'big difficulties' with his father's partner and believed his father had 'no choice' but to lock him up. The prosecutor confirmed there were no medical records indicating the boy had psychiatric issues before his confinement, and he had good grades in school. The father's partner denied knowledge of the boy's confinement and was released under judicial supervision after being charged with failure to help a minor in danger. The boy's 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father's partner were placed in social services.
The prosecutor's office is investigating whether others were aware of the boy's confinement. The father faces preliminary kidnapping charges and remains in custody.