Three children freed in Spain after three years indoors

Spanish authorities have rescued three young siblings who had been confined inside a home in Oviedo, northern Spain, since 2021.

Local media describe the residence as a “house of horrors,” following reports that the children were isolated, neglected and psychologically abused for years.

According to Spanish newspaper El Comercio, the children, twin eight-year-old boys and their ten-year-old sister, were removed from the home and taken for medical assessment. They are now under state protection at a juvenile facility.

Police arrested a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old American woman, believed to be the children’s parents. They are facing serious charges, including domestic abuse, consistent psychological mistreatment, and child neglect. As reported by ABC, both suspects have been remanded in custody without bail pending trial.

The investigation began after a neighbour raised concerns on April 14 about the children not attending school. Further inquiry revealed no one had been seen entering or leaving the property since late 2021, around the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to El Mundo.

When officers visited the home amid recent regional power outages, the mother warned them to “be careful,” claiming her children were “very sick.” However, authorities found no signs of illness. Instead, they discovered a home filled with trash, numerous medications and discarded face masks. The children were found sleeping in cribs adorned with disturbing drawings of monsters and dolls.

An officer involved in the operation described the children’s condition as shocking. “The children were in terrible shape. It was absolutely outrageous. Not malnourished, because they were fed. But they were also dirty… [and] completely cut off from reality, and not just because they didn’t go to school,” the officer told El Mundo.

“When we took them out of the house, into the garden, where they wouldn’t even go outside, they saw a snail and went crazy, freaked out.”

At a press briefing, Oviedo Police Chief Javier Lozano confirmed the rescue and called the case one of the most distressing he has encountered.

“We have given the three children back their lives,” he said. “We have dismantled the house of horrors.”

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Crédito: Link de origem