It started with a neighbor’s intuition—just a quiet street in Oviedo, northern Spain, where something didn’t sit right.
No sounds of children playing.
No school runs.
Just drawn blinds and eerie silence.
That unease sparked a tip-off that led police to uncover a deeply troubling case of child captivity that had gone unnoticed for nearly four years.
Children Rescued After Years of Isolation
On Wednesday, authorities rescued three young boys—two eight-year-old twins and their ten-year-old brother—who had been hidden away inside what investigators are now calling a “house of horrors.”
Police say the boys hadn’t seen daylight since 2021, which means they had spent almost half their lives locked inside.
When officers finally led them out into the garden, the children were overwhelmed by something most take for granted: grass. They dropped to their knees to touch it, fascinated by its feel.
One even gasped with joy upon seeing a snail.
The children’s reaction to such ordinary things showed just how disconnected they had become from the outside world.
The Terrifying Living Conditions Inside the Home
Police found the home in an appalling state—riddled with filth, trash piled high, and pet waste covering surfaces.
The children were barefoot, still in diapers, and sleeping in caged beds.
Investigators were stunned to find they didn’t even have shoes that fit, since none had been purchased in years.
Disturbing images scrawled by the children—monsters with sharp teeth—were found drawn on the walls and their cots.
The family had apparently shut themselves off during the pandemic and never reintegrated, with the mother and father refusing to allow the kids to step outside, even after lockdowns ended.
Parents Arrested as Shocking Details Emerge
The couple behind this, a 48-year-old woman with German-American citizenship and her 53-year-old German partner, have been arrested and are being held without bail.
The father, reportedly a philosopher from Hamburg, seemed oddly calm during the police visit.
Officers recalled that he asked them to keep their distance and to wear masks, immediately confessing there were minors inside—without any sense of wrongdoing.
The couple had reportedly been buying THC-based medication on the black market, claiming it was to treat the children’s ADHD.
Police found a large stockpile of medicine and face masks in the home.
How the Investigation Unfolded
The case came to light when a neighbor reported hearing children’s voices coming from the house, despite never seeing any sign of them outside.
Investigators conducted several days of surveillance.
It wasn’t just the mysterious sounds—there were also unusually large grocery deliveries and brief glimpses of movement behind closed blinds.
Eventually, police made their move.
During a power outage that affected parts of Spain, they visited the property.
The father answered the door barefoot and disheveled, asking officers to wait while the children put on triple-layered masks.
When the officers entered, they discovered the full extent of the horror the boys had endured.
Children Now in Care, Parents Facing Charges
The children are now under the care of the Spanish government and receiving medical evaluations.
Authorities say they were not malnourished but were dirty and severely socially withdrawn.
They spoke mostly in English and appeared to have little concept of life outside their home.
The parents could be charged with habitual abuse, neglect, and violations of the children’s fundamental rights.
As Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano put it during a press conference, “We have dismantled the house of horrors.”