A shocking incident has been uncovered in eastern France, where a 9-year-old boy was found isolated and in serious health condition inside a van.
According to reports from The Guardian, the alarm was raised by a neighbor in the village of Hagenbach, near the border with Switzerland and Germany, who had heard sounds resembling those of a child coming from a parked vehicle in the area.
After intervention, police forcibly opened the van and found an alarming scene inside: the child was lying in a fetal position, unclothed, covered only with a blanket, and surrounded by trash and excrement. Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz stated that his condition was serious, and due to prolonged confinement in the same position, he even had difficulty moving.
Investigations revealed that the boy had been kept in the van since November 2024. His 43-year-old father justified his actions to authorities by claiming he was "protecting" the child from his partner, who, according to him, wanted to send the boy for psychiatric treatment.
The family lived in an apartment together with two other girls, aged 12 and 10. According to the child's testimony, the father brought food twice a day and left water in bottles, but the living conditions were extreme. He reported having to urinate in plastic bottles and use trash bags for other needs, and he had not showered since the end of 2024.
The father claimed that his partner was unaware of the situation; however, authorities have pressed charges against both. He faces accusations of kidnapping and unlawful detention of a minor, as well as severe neglect of his health, and has been placed in pre-trial detention. His partner is charged with failure to intervene and report the abuse but has been released under conditional terms.
All three children have been placed in temporary care, while authorities await a decision on their future.
Neighbors said they had suspicions about the boy's absence since the end of last year, but the family had told them he was in an institution. Some reported hearing noises from the van but were told they came from a cat.
A local resident, identified as Danielle, described the situation as shocking for the community. "We can't comprehend what happened. It's something terrible. We feel as if we are inside an unreal story," she expressed to the media, according to Sky News.