Three young children were rescued from a disturbing situation in Oviedo, Spain, where they had allegedly been confined to their home by their parents for over three years. The case has horrified both local residents and international observers due to the grim conditions the children endured and the extreme isolation they faced.
How Were the Children Discovered?
Authorities intervened on April 28 after a neighbor raised concerns, having noticed the children hadn’t attended school or been seen publicly for a long time.
Initially, there was no obvious cause for alarm, but police surveillance revealed that only the father ever left the home, for groceries and mail, while the rest of the family remained completely hidden from view.
The situation became more suspicious when additional neighbors confirmed they hadn’t seen the family since late 2021. Based on these reports, authorities decided to investigate further.
Length and Nature of the Confinement
Investigators believe the three children—one aged 10 and two 8-year-old twins—had been confined inside the house since December 2021.
This means they lived in isolation for over three years, under rules similar to strict pandemic lockdowns, even though Spain had lifted COVID-19 restrictions years earlier.
During this time, the children had no contact with the outside world. They were not permitted to attend school, go outside, or even access the garden. Their experience of normal childhood development was completely halted.
Conditions Inside the Home
When police entered the property, they were sh0cked by what they found. Although the father let officers in, the mother, reportedly a 48-year-old German-American, insisted the children wear three surgical masks each and warned police that her kids were “very ill.”
Inside, officers encountered unsanitary and chaotic conditions: piles of trash, unused medications, and masks scattered everywhere.
Authorities described the environment as hazardous and unhealthy, with one official calling it a “pathogenic space.” Even more alarming, the children were still sleeping in cribs, despite their ages, and their rooms were filled with eerie and damaged toys.
The Children’s Reaction to the Outside World
Perhaps the most heart-wrenching part of the case was how the children responded once they were brought outdoors. According to investigators, they breathed in the fresh air as if it were their first time experiencing it.
One child became ecstatic upon seeing a snail, and they all appeared emotionally overwhelmed by something as simple as touching grass.
These reactions highlighted how deeply disconnected they had become from normal life, both emotionally and mentally.
Health Claims and Reality
The mother claimed that the children were gravely ill, which she used to justify their isolation. However, medical tests revealed no such illnesses. While the children weren’t malnourished, they were dirty and psychologically detached.
One officer remarked that although they had been fed, their reality had been so severely warped by isolation that they had effectively lost touch with the outside world.
The Parents and Legal Action
The children’s parents—a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old German-American woman—had rented the house in 2021. Only the father’s name appeared on the lease.
Both have since been arrested and face charges of habitual psychological abu.se and child neg.lect. They are currently in custody without bail.
What Is “COVID Syndrome”?
Authorities suspect the parents may have suffered from a condition referred to as “COVID syndrome”—a term used by Oviedo’s police chief to describe lingering psychological impacts from the pandemic.
These effects can include extreme fear of infection, paranoia, and obsessive health behaviors. It’s believed the couple’s fear of illness drove them to isolate their children long after the risk had passed.
Where Are the Children Now?
Following their rescue, the children were taken to a human rights center for evaluation and have since been placed in a government-supervised care facility.
Officials confirm that they are now safe and have begun the process of psychological recovery and reintegration into normal life.
