French Father Faces Charges for Confining Son in Van for Over a Year

A nine-year-old boy was discovered on Monday after neighbors in Hagenbach, Alsace, reported hearing “sounds of a child” from a van parked in a residential complex’s shared area. The vehicle, located in a common space of a multi-unit building, was found to house the child in severe neglect. Authorities revealed the child was lying naked beneath a blanket, surrounded by waste and debris, with severe malnutrition and mobility issues stemming from prolonged immobility.

Accusations of Custody and Neglect

The 43-year-old father, whose identity has not been disclosed, has been charged with “sequestration and arbitrary detention of a minor” as well as denying the boy proper food and medical care. Prosecutors stated that the child was kept in the van for more than a year, starting in November 2024, to protect him from his 37-year-old partner, who allegedly wanted to place the child in psychiatric care. The couple resides in the same building with the boy’s 12-year-old sister and 10-year-old half-sister.

“I locked the boy in the van to keep him safe from my partner, who wanted to put him in psychiatric care,” the father claimed during questioning.

According to Le Parisien, the boy told police he received food twice daily and water from his father, though he described urinating into plastic bottles and defecating in garbage bags. His last shower was said to have occurred at the end of 2024. Neighbors noted the child seemed to vanish abruptly that year but were told by the couple he had been placed in care. Some reported hearing noises from the van, believing it to be a cat.

Legal Proceedings and Temporary Care

The father has been remanded in custody, while his partner faces charges of “non-assistance to a minor in danger” and “non-denunciation of mistreatment of a minor.” She has been granted conditional bail. The three children are now under temporary care until a children’s court judge makes a final decision.