\n A nine-year-old boy has been rescued after allegedly being kept locked inside his father\u2019s utility van in eastern France since 2024 \u2013 a case that has stunned the quiet village where it unfolded. <\/p>\n
Issued on: 12\/04\/2026 – 14:41Modified: 12\/04\/2026 – 14:42<\/p>\n
2 min Reading time\n<\/p>\n
The child was reportedly discovered on Monday in Hagenbach, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, after a neighbour alerted police to the \u201csounds of a child\u201d coming from a parked vehicle. According to local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, officers forced the van open and found the boy in a dire condition.<\/p>\n
He was lying in a foetal position, naked under a blanket, on top of a mound of rubbish and close to excrement. Authorities said he was severely malnourished<\/a> and unable to walk, having been confined in a seated position for an extended period. The child has since been taken to hospital for treatment, while his father has been detained.<\/p>\n Investigators believe the boy had been living in the van since November 2024. His father told police he had confined the child \u201cto protect him\u201d, claiming his partner wanted to send the then seven-year-old to a psychiatric hospital.<\/p>\n However, the prosecutor said there is no record of the boy having any psychiatric condition<\/a> prior to his disappearance. On the contrary, he had reportedly been doing well at school.<\/p>\n In interviews with investigators, the boy described having \u201cbig difficulties\u201d with his father\u2019s partner and said he believed his father \u201chad no choice\u201d but to lock him away. He also reported that he had not showered since 2024.<\/p>\n