Nine-year-old rescued after nearly two years confined in a van in eastern France

A 9-year-old boy was rescued from a locked utility van in Hagenbach, eastern France, where he had been confined since November 2024. He was found malnourished, naked, and in a fetal position amid trash and excrement, having not showered for about 18 months. The father, 43, is detained on kidnapping charges; his partner, 37, faces related charges and was released under judicial supervision. The boy’s sister and the partner’s 10-year-old daughter were placed in social care. Authorities are investigating others’ possible knowledge of the confinement, with neighbors reporting occasional noises they were told were from a cat.