A 43-year-old man in eastern France has been charged with keeping his nine-year-old son locked in a van for more than a year, according to the state prosecutor. The boy was found on Monday in the town of Hagenbach, Alsace, after neighbors heard sounds of a child coming from the van, which was parked in the common area of a block of flats.

Conditions Inside the Van

When the boy was discovered. He was lying naked under a blanket, on a pile of rubbish near human excrement, malnourished and unable to walk due to spending a long time in the same position, the state prosecutor said. He was found after neighbors in the area heard the noises and contacted authorities.

The boy told police that his father brought him food twice a day and left him bottles of water, according to Le Parisien newspaper. He said he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags, and that the last time he had a shower was at the end of 2024.

Reason Given for the Detention

Under questioning. The 43-year-old father said he had kept the boy in the van since November 2024 to protect him from his 37-year-old partner who ‘wanted to put the child in psychiatric care,’ the prosecutor said. The father has not been named and has been charged with the ‘sequestration and arbitrary detention of a minor’ as well as depriving him of proper food and medical care.

The couple lived in the block of flats with the boy’s siblings – his 12-year-old sister and 10-year-old half-sister; According to the father, his partner did not know the boy was in the van. Neighbors told police that the boy seemed to have disappeared suddenly at the end of that year, but that they understood from the couple that he had been placed in care.

Some neighbors said they heard noises from time to time in the van, but had been told it was a cat. The father has been remanded in custody, while his partner has been charged with ‘non-assistance to a minor in danger’ and ‘non-denunciation of mistreatment of a minor.’ She has been granted conditional bail.

Children in Temporary Care

The three children have been placed in temporary care pending the decision of a children’s court judge, but the case has sparked outrage and concern in the local community, with many questioning how such a situation could go unnoticed for so long.

The boy’s condition upon discovery was alarming, with reports of malnourishment and physical deterioration due to prolonged immobility — Authorities are now investigating the full extent of the neglect and abuse the child endured during his time in the van.

Neighbors had previously suspected something was wrong but were reassured by the couple that the boy had been placed in care; However, the reality was far more disturbing, revealing a pattern of isolation and mistreatment that went unchecked.

According to the state prosecutor, the father’s claims about the reason for the detention are under investigation, while the case highlights the need for greater awareness and intervention in cases of child neglect and abuse, even in seemingly normal family environments.

The children’s court judge will determine the next steps for the children’s care and the legal proceedings against both parents; the situation has raised serious questions about the adequacy of child protection measures in France.