A 9-year-old boy in Hagenbach, France, was found naked in a van after his dad allegedly locked him in the vehicle for nearly two years.
French authorities announced that the boy was found curled in a “fetal position” under a blanket on a pile of trash near human waste on April 6, according to local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz. The boy was found after a neighbor reported hearing “sounds of a child” coming from the van, which was parked near their home.
Heitz said that the boy was severely malnourished and unable to walk when he was found, according to the New York Post. It’s believed that his father locked him away in the vehicle beginning in November 2024.
The boy was hospitalized and authorities arrested the father. Upon his arrest, the father claimed he imprisoned the child in order to “protect him” after his partner wanted to send the boy to a psychiatric hospital when he was 7 years old.
The boy told investigators he had “big difficulties” with his father’s partner and that he believed his father “had no choice” but to lock him away, according to the Mulhouse Public prosecutor.
The child — who has no history of psychiatric issues — also told authorities that he had not had access to basic necessities amid his captivity, including that he had not taken a shower since 2024.
The father is now facing preliminary kidnapping charges and other offenses, and he remains in police custody.
Heitz said that the man’s partner was also charged with failing to help a minor in danger. However, the partner claimed she wasn’t aware that the child was locked in the van. She has since been released under judicial supervision.
The woman’s 10-year-old daughter was taken into the care of social services in light of the incident, and the victim’s 12-year-old sister was also taken by social services.
An investigation into the matter remains ongoing, and authorities are working to determine if other people were aware of the boy’s imprisonment.
Prosecutors explained that the boy’s friends and family believed he was in a psychiatric institution at the time of his imprisonment. Meanwhile, his teachers were told that he had transferred to another school.
It is not currently clear if the father — whose identity has not been publicly revealed — has entered a plea or retained legal counsel in light of his arrest. The Mulhouse Public Prosecutor’s Office did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
