9-Year-Old Rescued from Father's Van After 7 Months in France

A 9-year-old boy was rescued from his father's locked utility van in the eastern French village of Hagenbach, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, after being confined there since November 2024, local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz said in a statement released Saturday. The child, who was 7 when the ordeal began, was discovered Monday following a neighbor's report of hearing sounds of a child from the vehicle parked in a shared courtyard.

Police forced open the van and found the boy lying in a fetal position, naked and covered only by a blanket atop a pile of trash near excrement. He appeared pale and malnourished, unable to walk due to prolonged time in a seated position, and had not showered since late 2024. The boy was immediately hospitalized for treatment. He later told investigators he had endured significant difficulties with his father's partner and believed his father had no choice but to confine him, according to Heitz. The child also described being fed twice a day and provided with water bottles, while using plastic bottles for urination and trash bags for waste.

The boy's 43-year-old father admitted to confining him and depriving him of proper care, telling...