- A nine-year-old boy was rescued in eastern France after being found locked in his father’s utility van, reportedly malnourished, naked, and unable to walk.
- Police were alerted by a neighbour and found the child in a fetal position on a mound of trash and near excrement, having been confined for almost 18 months since November 2024.
- The boy’s father has been detained and charged with kidnapping, claiming he locked the child in the van to “protect him” from his partner who allegedly wanted to send him to a psychiatric hospital.
- Investigators found no medical record of psychiatric issues for the boy, who previously had good grades, while the father's partner faces charges for failing to help a minor.
- The boy’s 12-year-old sister and his father’s partner’s 10-year-old daughter have been placed in social services, as friends and family were reportedly told the boy was in a psychiatric institution or had transferred schools.
IN FULL
Boy, 9, rescued after being locked in his father’s van in France for over a year
