A 9-year-old boy was rescued this week after living locked in his father’s utility van in eastern France since 2024, according to the local prosecutor. Authorities said after forcing the van open, they found a child “lying in a fetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement,″ reported AP. Child's father in custody The father was handed preliminary kidnapping and other charges and kept in custody. His partner denied knowledge that the boy was in the van, according to the prosecutor. Friends and family told investigators they thought the boy was in a psychiatric institution.

Source: Mint April 11, 2026 13:34 UTC