A malnourished 9-year-old boy was found in a fetal position in his father’s van in eastern France this week after reportedly being locked in the car two years ago.
The boy, who could no longer walk after sitting for so long, was discovered Monday after a neighbor heard the “noises of a child” coming from the van, local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz said Saturday.
Officers in the village of Hagenbach, near the border with Switzerland and Germany, found the boy “lying in a fetal position, naked, covered with a blanket on top of a pile of garbage and almost feces” after breaking into the van, Heitz said.
The boy told authorities he had not showered since 2024.
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A 9-year-old boy was rescued on April 11, 2026 after being locked in his father’s van in Hagenbach, France since 2024. (AP photo)
The boy’s father is accused of kidnapping. He claimed to police that he locked his son in the van in November 2024 to “protect” him from his partner who wanted to send him to a mental institution, the prosecutor said.
But the prosecutor said there was no medical record showing the boy had psychiatric problems and that he had gotten good grades in school.
When the boy disappeared, his teachers were told he had been transferred to another school.
The man’s partner, who denied knowing the boy was locked in the van, has also been charged, including with failing to assist a minor in danger.
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Family and friends of the boys told police they believed the boy was in a psychiatric hospital.
A car drives past a road sign at the entrance to Hagenbach, France, where a 9-year-old boy was rescued after being locked in his father’s van since 2024, on April 11, 2026. (AP)
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of the man’s partner are in the care of social services.
The boy was taken to hospital.
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A 9-year-old boy was rescued on April 11, 2026 after being locked in his father’s van in Hagenbach, France since 2024. (AP)
He told authorities he believed his father had no choice but to lock him in the van and that he had been having “major problems” with his father’s partner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
