Three kids were found living in what felt like a prison, still stuck in full lockdown mode even though the pandemic had ended years ago.
Their parents, a German couple living in Spain, were arrested after allegedly forcing the kids to stay inside and follow strict COVID rules, including always wearing masks, for almost four years.
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The shocking discovery began with a neighbor’s complaint
Authorities only found out what was going on after a neighbor reported the kids hadn’t been seen going to school. That was back on April 14, according to El Comercio.
At first, police didn’t think much of it. But then they started keeping an eye on the place and noticed something odd — only the dad ever left the house. He’d go out to grab food and check the mail, but no one else ever stepped outside.
Neighbors also told police they hadn’t seen the rest of the family leave the home since December 2021.
Police entered and found a disturbing scene inside
When officers finally went to the house, the dad let them in.
Right away, they saw the mom — she’s German-American and 48 — rushing to put three masks each on the kids. That’s what El Mundo reported.
She also warned the officers to “be careful,” saying the kids were “very sick.”
The house was filthy and full of medical supplies
Once inside, things looked bad.
The place was full of trash and random piles of medicine and masks. It was clearly dirty and not a healthy place for anyone to live.
Councilor for Citizen Security, José Ramón Prado, called it a “pathogenic environment.”
The children lived in cribs and were surrounded by disturbing items
Even though they weren’t babies, the kids were still sleeping in cribs.
The house also had these messed-up toys — like dolls and monsters that had been defaced.
The siblings were immediately fascinated by the outside world
The three kids — 10-year-old and twin 8-year-olds — were finally rescued on April 28 from what police called a “house of horrors” in Oviedo.
They hadn’t been outside since around December 2021.
Right after being freed, officers noticed they were acting super weird about being outdoors. They were touching the grass, staring at a snail.
An investigator said: “As soon as we got them out, all three children began to breathe deeply, as if they had never been outside before,” according to New York Post.
Another agent added: “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.”
Officials were horrified by the children’s condition
Oviedo Police Chief Lozano called the place a “house of horrors” during a press conference.
Another officer told El Mundo: “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 children were not actually ill despite the parents’ claims
Later on, it turned out the kids weren’t sick at all, even though their mom insisted they were.
The parents are now facing serious charges
The kids are now in a juvenile center while both parents sit in pretrial detention with no bail.
According to the Oviedo Police Department, they’re facing charges for domestic violence, constant psychological abuse, and child abandonment. That’s what ABC reported.
Lozano added: “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.”