HAGENBACH — A 9-year-old boy was rescued from his father's locked utility van in the village of Hagenbach in eastern France, where he had been confined since November 2024, according to a statement from the local prosecutor. Police were alerted by a neighbor who reported hearing sounds of a child coming from the van in the village, which is near the borders of Switzerland and Germany.

After forcing open the van, officers found the boy lying in a fetal position, naked and covered by a blanket on top of a mound of trash and near excrement, according to the prosecutor's statement. The child was malnourished and unable to walk because he had been in a seated position for so long. He was 7 years old when his father placed him in the van in November 2024.

The boy was hospitalized after being rescued. He told investigators that he had not showered since 2024 and that his father brought him food twice a day and left him water. He said he had to urinate in plastic bottles and defecate in bin bags.

The boy's 43-year-old father was detained and handed preliminary kidnapping and other charges. He told investigators he had put the child in the van to protect him because his partner wanted to send the boy to a psychiatric hospital, according to the prosecutor's statement. The prosecutor said there was no medical record indicating the boy had psychiatric problems before he disappeared and that he had received good grades in school. The boy's teachers had been told he had transferred to a different school.

The boy told investigators he had big difficulties with his father's partner and believed his father had no choice but to lock him up. The father's 37-year-old partner denied knowledge that the boy was in the van, according to the prosecutor's statement. She was charged with failure to help a minor in danger and released under judicial supervision.

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. The prosecutor's office is investigating whether others were aware the boy had been locked in the van. Authorities did not release the names of the victim or family members.