In a harrowing rescue that has shaken Spain, three young children imprisoned inside a filthy home in Oviedo for nearly four years were finally freed this week, seeing sunlight for the first time in their memory.
The boys, twin eight-year-olds and their ten-year-old brother, had been locked away since 2021 by their German-American mother and German father, who claimed to be protecting them from illness.
When police rescued them on Wednesday, the children—barefoot and wearing diapers—stumbled into the garden, hyperventilating and crying as they touched the grass in wonder.
One even collapsed to the ground, stroking it in disbelief.
“They were scared of the outside world. When they saw a snail, they went crazy,” a police officer recounted emotionally. “We have given three children back their lives,” said Chief Inspector Francisco Javier Lozano.
Authorities described the home as a “house of horrors,” filled with trash, pet excrement, and hoards of unused medication.
The boys slept in caged beds and had never been to school. Neighbours, unaware children even lived there, finally alerted police after hearing faint voices inside.
The family had reportedly isolated themselves during the Covid pandemic and never re-emerged.
Police found the children unkempt but not malnourished, and speaking mostly English. They are now in protective care under the Government of the Principality of Asturias.
Their parents, aged 48 and 53, have been arrested and are being held without bail. Authorities are investigating possible charges including child abuse, illegal detention, and violation of fundamental rights.