French Man Hid 9-Year-Old Son in Van for Over a Year

A nine-year-old boy has been rescued from a utility van in Hagenbach, a village in the Alsace region of eastern France, after being kept locked inside the vehicle by his father since November 2024.

Police intervened on Monday, April 6, 2026, after a neighbor alerted authorities to sounds of a child emanating from a vehicle parked in the common area of a block of flats. The village is located near the borders of Germany and Switzerland.

Rescue and Condition of the Child

Upon forcing the van open, officers discovered the child in a severe state of neglect. According to state prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, the boy was found lying in a foetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement.

The boy was malnourished and unable to walk, a condition the prosecutor attributed to the child having remained in a seated position for an extended period of time.

Circumstances of Captivity

The boy’s 43-year-old father told police that he had sequestered his son in the utility vehicle beginning in November 2024. The father claimed his actions were intended to protect the child from his 37-year-old partner, who allegedly wanted to put the child in psychiatric care.

The child provided police with details regarding his survival over the past year and a half. He stated that his father provided him with bottles of water and brought him food twice a day. He further reported that he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags and that he had not had a shower since the end of 2024.

The couple resided in a block of flats with the boy’s siblings, including a 12-year-old sister and a 10-year-old half-sister. The father asserted that his partner was unaware that the boy was being kept in the van.

Neighbor Testimony

Neighbors informed police that the boy appeared to have disappeared suddenly at the end of 2024. They stated that the couple had led them to believe the child had been placed in care.

Some residents reported hearing noises coming from the van on occasion, but they were told by the couple that the sounds were caused by a cat.

Legal Charges

The 43-year-old father has been charged with the sequestration and arbitrary detention of a minor and with depriving the child of proper medical care and food. He has been remanded in custody.

The father’s 37-year-old partner has also faced legal action. She has been charged with non-denunciation of mistreatment of a minor and non-assistance to a minor in danger. She has been granted conditional bail.