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A malnourished 9-year-old boy was found lying in the fetal position in his father’s utility van in eastern France this week after allegedly being locked in the vehicle two years ago.
The boy, who was unable to walk after sitting for so long, was discovered Monday after a neighbor who heard the “sounds 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 by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement” after forcing the van open, Heitz said.
The boy told authorities he hadn’t showered since 2024.
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The boy’s father has been charged with kidnapping. He claimed to police that he had locked his son in the van in November 2024 to “protect” him from his partner who wanted to send him to a psychiatric facility, according to the prosecutor.
But the prosecutor said there was no medical record of the boy having psychiatric problems and he had gotten good grades in school.
When the boy disappeared, his teachers were told he had transferred to another school.
The man’s partner, who denied knowing the boy was locked in the van, has also been charged, including for failure to help a minor in danger.
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The boys’ family and friends told police they believed the boy was in a psychiatric hospital.
The boy’s 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of the man’s partner are under the care of social services.
The boy has been taken to the hospital.
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He told authorities he thought his father had no choice but to lock him in the van and that he’d had “big difficulties” with his father’s partner.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.