French police rescued a malnourished nine-year-old boy from a locked utility van parked in a residential courtyard in the village of Hagenbach, eastern France, on 6 April after a neighbour heard what sounded like a child inside. The boy, who had been confined to the van since November 2024, could no longer walk, the Associated Press reported, citing Mulhouse prosecutor Nicolas Heitz.
When officers forced the van open, they found the child naked and curled up in a fetal position, covered by a blanket atop a mound of garbage. There was excrement nearby. Heitz said the boy was visibly malnourished and had lost the ability to walk from sitting in the same position for approximately 17 months. He was taken to the hospital.
Father Claims He Was Protecting the Boy
His father, 43, told investigators he placed the then seven-year-old in the vehicle to keep him away from his partner, who he claimed wanted the boy sent to a psychiatric hospital. Heitz said prosecutors found no medical records indicating the child had any psychiatric condition. The boy had been earning good grades in school before he vanished.
The prosecutor disclosed the details in a statement released Saturday, five days after the rescue. He identified the father's age but did not publicly name any of the individuals involved in the case.
Boy Describes Conditions Inside the Van
In interviews with police, the boy said his father fed him twice daily and left him water, according to CBS News. The child said he relieved himself in plastic bottles and bin bags, and that he had not washed since late 2024.
He described a troubled relationship with his father's partner and told investigators he believed his father felt he had no alternative. The boy said he had experienced serious difficulties with the woman and understood his confinement as his father's way of handling the situation, according to the prosecutor.
Both Adults Face Preliminary Charges
The father faces preliminary charges, including kidnapping, and remains in custody. His partner, 37, who denied any knowledge that the child was living inside the van, was given preliminary charges for failing to assist a minor in danger. She was released under judicial supervision.
Under French law, preliminary charges allow prosecutors to continue investigating while keeping a suspect under legal restrictions. The charges can be upgraded, reduced, or dropped as the investigation progresses.
No Alarm Raised for 17 Months
For nearly a year and a half, nobody appears to have flagged the boy's absence. His school was told he had transferred elsewhere. Friends and extended family believed he had been admitted to a psychiatric facility, according to the prosecutor's office.
Several neighbors said they had at times heard noises from the direction of the van but had been told the sound came from a cat, CBS News said. Prosecutors said they are now examining whether anyone beyond the father and his partner was aware of the boy's captivity.
Two other children in the household, a 12-year-old girl who is the boy's sister and a 10-year-old girl who is the partner's daughter, have been placed with social services.
Hagenbach, a commune of fewer than 800 people in the Haut-Rhin department near the Swiss and German borders, is about 18 kilometers southwest of Mulhouse. Residents reached by the press on Saturday said they were shocked but declined to discuss the case further. The prosecutor said no further comment would be made while the investigation continues.
