Trending Now - Malnourished 9-year-old Discovered Locked in Van in France

WHO:

ABC7 Los Angeles - A 9-year-old boy was found locked in a utility van.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy's father has been detained.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy's father’s partner has been handed preliminary charges.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy's 12-year-old sister and the 10-year-old daughter of his father's partner were placed in the care of social services.

WHAT:

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy was hospitalized following his rescue.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy's father was detained and charged with preliminary kidnapping and other offenses.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy's father's partner was released under judicial supervision after being handed preliminary charges for failure to help a minor in danger.

ABC7 Los Angeles - Prosecutor Nicolas Heitz stated that the boy was found "lying in a fetal position, naked, covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement."

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy reported to investigators that he had not showered since 2024.

ABC7 Los Angeles - Friends and family believed the boy was in a psychiatric institution, and his teachers were informed he had transferred to a different school.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy was rescued after living locked in the van since 2024.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy was found malnourished and unable to walk.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The father was handed preliminary kidnapping and other charges.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The partner was handed preliminary charges for failure to help a minor in danger.

WHERE:

ABC7 Los Angeles - The incident occurred in Hagenbach, eastern France, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany.

WHEN:

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy was found on April 11th, 2026, after being locked in the van since November 2024.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy was found on April 11th, 2026.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy had been locked in the van since November 2024.

WHY:

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy reported to investigators that he had "big difficulties" with his father's partner and believed his father "had no choice" but to lock him up.

ABC7 Los Angeles - Heitz noted that there was no medical record indicating the boy had any psychiatric problems prior to his disappearance and that he had received good grades in school.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The father claimed he locked the boy in the van "to protect him" because his partner wanted to send the then 7-year-old to a psychiatric hospital.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The boy reported having "big difficulties" with his father's partner.

HOW:

ABC7 Los Angeles - Police were alerted by a neighbor to the "sounds of a child" coming from the van.

ABC7 Los Angeles - The prosecutor's office is investigating whether others were aware of the boy's detention.

ABC7 Los Angeles - Police were alerted by a neighbor to the "sounds of a child" coming from the van.

ABC7 Los Angeles - Officers forced the van open to rescue the child.

(UPDATED April 13, 2026 23:13 UTC)

A young boy was found on Saturday, after being locked in a van in Hagenbach, eastern France, since November 20th24. Following his rescue, the boy was hospitalized, while his father was detained and charged with preliminary kidnapping and other offenses; the father's partner was released under judicial supervision after facing preliminary charges for failing to assist a minor in danger. Investigators learned that the boy had "big difficulties" with his father's partner and believed his father "had no choice" but to lock him up, prompting police to act after a neighbor reported hearing "sounds of a child" coming from the van.

(UPDATED April 13, 2026 13:27 UTC)

A boy was found in a disturbing condition, lying naked in a fetal position on a mound of trash and covered by a blanket, according to prosecutor Nicolas Heitz. Investigators learned that the boy had not showered since 2024 and that friends and family mistakenly believed he was in a psychiatric institution, while his teachers thought he had transferred schools. Heitz also pointed out that there were no medical records indicating any psychiatric issues prior to his disappearance, and the prosecutor's office is now looking into whether anyone else was aware of the boy's situation.

(UPDATED April 13, 2026 05:50 UTC)

A 9-year-old boy was rescued on Saturday, after being locked in a utility van in Hagenbach, eastern France, since November 20th24, and he was found malnourished and unable to walk. The boy's father has been detained and faces preliminary kidnapping charges, while his partner has been charged with failure to help a minor in danger; both children were placed in the care of social services. Police were alerted by a neighbor who heard sounds of a child coming from the van, prompting officers to force it open for the rescue.