A nine-year-old boy, who was found in a state of severe malnutrition, was rescued after being confined in his father’s van in eastern France since November 2024, according to statements from a local prosecutor.

The authorities were alerted by a neighbor who reported hearing “sounds of a child” coming from a vehicle in the village of Hagenbach, located near the borders of Switzerland and Germany.

On Monday, police forced entry into the van and discovered the child in a fetal position, unclothed, and lying atop a pile of refuse and close to human waste, as reported by prosecutor Nicolas Heitz.

Heitz indicated that the child was suffering from malnutrition and was unable to walk due to prolonged sitting in the confined space.

The boy’s 43-year-old father claimed he had kept the child in the van to shield him from his 37-year-old partner, who allegedly intended to have the child placed in psychiatric care.

The family resided in an apartment building with the boy’s siblings, including a 12-year-old sister and a 10-year-old half-sister.

According to reports from Le Parisien, the boy informed authorities that his father provided him with food twice daily and left bottles of water. He recounted that he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in garbage bags, stating that his last shower occurred at the end of 2024.

The father maintained that his partner was unaware of the boy’s presence in the van.

He has been charged with “sequestration and arbitrary detention of a minor,” along with accusations of neglecting to provide adequate food and medical care, and is currently in custody.

Meanwhile, his partner faces charges of “non-assistance to a minor in danger” and “failure to report mistreatment of a minor,” for which she has been granted conditional bail.

The three children have been placed under temporary care while awaiting a decision from a children’s court judge.

Local residents expressed their shock, noting that the boy seemed to have vanished suddenly at the end of 2024, with the couple claiming he had been placed in care instead.

Some neighbors reported hearing noises coming from the van but were told by the couple that it was a cat. One neighbor, identified as Danielle, described the situation as “truly devastating,” stating, “We don’t understand it. It’s horrific, there are no words.”

She added, “I never once noticed anything, never heard anything … It feels like we’re living in a movie or a dream, and we keep thinking, ‘Tomorrow I’ll wake up, and maybe it’s not real.’ We just can’t comprehend it.”