Malnourished boy found locked in father’s van for over a year, unable to walk and unshowered since 2024

(SeaPRwire) –   A severely undernourished nine-year-old boy was discovered curled in a fetal position inside his father’s van in eastern France this week, having reportedly been confined there for two years.

The child, who could no longer walk due to prolonged immobility, was located on Monday after a neighbor reported hearing what sounded like a child from the vehicle, prosecutor Nicolas Heitz stated on Saturday.

Upon forcing the van open in the village of Hagenbach, near the Swiss and German borders, officers found the boy “naked and curled up, covered with a blanket atop a pile of garbage and close to feces,” Heitz said.

The boy informed officials he had not bathed since 2024.

The father faces a kidnapping charge. He told police he confined his son in November 2024 to “protect” him from his partner, who allegedly wished to commit the boy to a psychiatric facility, the prosecutor reported.

However, the prosecutor noted there is no medical evidence of the child having psychiatric issues, and he had been a good student.

When the boy vanished, his school was informed he had moved to a different institution.

The man’s partner, who claims she was unaware the boy was locked in the van, has also been charged with offenses including failing to assist a minor in peril.

Relatives and acquaintances of the boy told police they thought he was receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital.

The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the partner’s 10-year-old daughter are now in the custody of child protection services.

The boy has been hospitalized.

He told authorities he believed his father was forced to lock him in the van and that he experienced “major difficulties” with his father’s partner.