Neighbors in Oviedo, Spain, raised alarms after noticing three children’s absence. What police later found inside their home was reportedly straight out of a nightmare! A couple is now facing charges after authorities discovered the kids had been locked inside a filthy “house of horrors” since COVID-19 was in full effect.
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3 Kids Rescued From Locked Home
A German couple living in Oviedo has been arrested after police discovered their three children had been locked inside. According to the local outlets, the disturbing discovery came after neighbors reported the children’s absence from school on April 14. That prompted an investigation by local authorities.
According to translated reports from local outlets El Comercio, El Mundo, and ABC, police launched an investigation, gathering witness statements and checking home records. At first, nothing seemed off—until officers dug deeper. The family had rented the home in October 2021, with only the father’s name on the lease. Neighbors reported that they hadn’t seen the family leave since December 2021. However, the father was sometimes spotted picking up groceries and mail.
On Monday, April 28, the Oviedo Police Department rescued the three children from the Spanish home. They had been locked inside for over three years, following the final wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The local media outlets reported the tragic situation, revealing that the children, aged 8 (twins) and 10, had been isolated for a prolonged period.
When police knocked on their door on April 28, the father let them in. But before opening the door, the parents reportedly masked up the kids and warned officers the children were “very sick.” Inside, they found trash everywhere, expired medication, used masks, and an overwhelming stench. Officers even found feces inside, cribs instead of beds, and dolls that had been defaced to look like monsters. They were not even allowed into the home’s garden, according to reports.
What’s Next For The Parents?
The children’s parents, a 53-year-old German man and his 48-year-old American wife (who also held a German passport), were arrested. Their charges in Spain include domestic violence, habitual psychological abuse, and child abandonment.
“The children were in terrible shape. It was absolutely outrageous,” an officer claimed. “Not malnourished, because they were fed. But they were also dirty… completely cut off from reality, and not just because they didn’t go to school.” They added, “When we took them out of the house…they saw a snail and went crazy, freaked out.”
As of April 30, the parents remain in pretrial detention without bail, according to reports.
Here’s What Happened To The Kids
The three children were transferred to the National Human Rights Center in Spain for medical evaluations. Afterwards, they were placed under the custody of the Ministry of Welfare and sent to a juvenile center.
“We’ve all been affected by Covid syndrome and what the pandemic has brought, and we can speculate about what led a family to live locked up for so long,” Lozano said during the press conference, according to the outlets.
