A distressing discovery unfolded in eastern France this week when a malnourished 9-year-old boy was found confined inside his father’s utility van. Authorities believe the child had been trapped there for two years.
The boy, unable to walk after enduring such prolonged confinement, was discovered on Monday. A neighbor, who had been alerted by the sound of a child’s cries coming from the van, prompted the investigation, according to statements made by local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz on Saturday.
Police officers in the village of Hagenbach, which is near the borders of Switzerland and Germany, forced their way into the van to find the boy. He was found curled up in a fetal position, naked, under a blanket, and surrounded by trash and excrement, as detailed by Prosecutor Heitz.
The boy reportedly told authorities that he had not bathed since 2024, highlighting the severe neglect he suffered.
On April 11, 2026, the boy was finally rescued from the appalling conditions in which he had been forced to live since 2024. This tragic case occurred in Hagenbach, France. (AP Photo)
The child’s father now faces charges of kidnapping. In a statement to the police, he claimed that he had confined his son in the van in November 2024 as a measure to “protect” him from his partner, who allegedly wanted to send the boy to a psychiatric facility, according to the prosecutor.
But the prosecutor said there was no medical record of the boy having psychiatric problems and he had gotten good grades in school.
When the boy disappeared, his teachers were told he had transferred to another school.
The man’s partner, who denied knowing the boy was locked in the van, has also been charged, including for failure to help a minor in danger.
The boys’ family and friends told police they believed the boy was in a psychiatric hospital.
A car drives past a road sign at the entrance of Hagenbach, France, where a 9-year-old boy was rescued after living locked in his father’s utility van since 2024, on April 11, 2026. (AP)
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of the man’s partner are under the care of social services.
The boy has been taken to the hospital.
A 9-year-old boy was rescued after living locked in his father’s utility van since 2024 in Hagenbach, France, on April 11, 2026. (AP)
He told authorities he thought his father had no choice but to lock him in the van and that he’d had “big difficulties” with his father’s partner.
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