A Brazilian girl who was locked inside her room her entire childhood has finally been freed after her parents were arrested by police.
The six-year-old, who was found in a state of neglect, was removed from her parents' care after officers received an anonymous tip about her welfare.
According to Universo Online, the child never attended school, was unvaccinated and could not speak Portuguese.
It prompted authorities to rescue the girl,whose identity remains anonymous, from her family home in the Jardim Santa Esmeralda neighborhood of Sorocaba, Sao Paulo.
Child protection counsellors Ligia Guerra said the child's hair was “tangled” and looked “as if it had never been washed”, adding: “The girl was very apathetic and dazzled by everything.”
A shocking photograph from the raid shows a stained wall bearing the impression of the girl's back and a teddy bear.
The mother cannot grasp the gravity of the situation
Guerra said the girl had not eaten anything the day she was saved, with police confirming she only consumed liquids.
She is understood to have communicated with counsellors and police chiefs only through unorthodox sounds.
The girl was admitted to hospital to undergo a medical examination and was afterwards put into a children's home.
Her parents have since been arrested and remain in police custody after being charged with unlawful detention.
Renata Zanin, chief delegate at the city’s Women's Defense Department, said “the mother cannot grasp the gravity of the situation”.
She revealed that when interrogated, the mother “gave evasive answers” and “showed no remorse whatsoever”.
