Nine-year-old found locked in a French van since 2024
A nine-year-old boy who had been locked in his father’s minibus in eastern France since 2024 was rescued this week.
The child was malnourished and could no longer walk because he remained in a sitting position for a long time.
While the child was taken to the hospital, his father was taken into custody.
According to the statement of prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, a neighbor warned the police after hearing “children’s voices” coming from a minibus in the village of Hagenbach, close to the borders of Switzerland and Germany, on Monday.
The statement stated that after the minibus was forcibly opened, they found a “naked child, lying in a fetal position, covered with a blanket, on a pile of garbage and close to the feces.”
The child’s father told investigators he put the child in the truck in November 2024 “to protect him” because his partner wanted to send the child to a psychiatric hospital, the prosecutor said.
The child was seven years old at the time.
The prosecutor said there was no medical record that the child had any psychiatric problems before his disappearance and that the child received good grades at school.
The boy told investigators that his father was having “major problems” with his partner and that he thought his father “had no choice” to put him in jail, according to the prosecutor.
He said he hasn’t showered since 2024.
Preliminary kidnapping and other charges were filed against the father and he remained in custody.
According to the prosecutor, his partner denied knowledge that the child was in the minibus.
He was charged with preliminary charges, including failure to assist a child in distress, and was released under judicial supervision.
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father’s partner were placed in the care of social services.
The prosecutor’s office is investigating whether others are aware of the arrested child.
Friends and family told investigators they thought the boy was in a psychiatric clinic.
According to the prosecutor’s office, his teachers were told he was transferring to a different school.
Authorities did not release the names of the victim or his family members.
Residents of the village reached by The Associated Press expressed that they were shocked by what happened on Saturday and said that they were unaware of the child’s whereabouts.
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