German Couple Arrested for Confining Children Aged 8 to 10 in Diapers for Over Three Years

"Couple Under Investigation for Neglect and Domestic Violence"
"Children Found Malnourished and Abandoned in a House Filled with Garbage"

A German couple who confined their three children at home for more than three years since the COVID-19 pandemic have been arrested in Spain.

On May 2 (local time), German media reported, "Police rescued three children from a villa in Oviedo, northern Spain, on April 28 and are investigating the couple on charges including neglect and domestic violence."

House in Oviedo, Spain, where a German couple confined their child. Photo by AFP Yonhap News.

According to local police, the couple?a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old woman with dual German and American citizenship?began living in seclusion after acquiring a house in Oviedo at the end of 2021, during the height of the pandemic.

When police arrived at the house following a neighbor's report, the three children, aged between 8 and 10, were found wearing diapers and three layers of masks. The couple reportedly asked the responding officers to wear masks as well.

The German media outlet Bild reported that the father holds a PhD in philosophy and is originally from Hamburg. Police stated that after leaving the house, the three children took deep breaths as if experiencing fresh air for the first time, and one child touched the grass with a look of amazement.

Spanish media reported that the children had been left in a state of malnutrition in a house filled with garbage, unable to attend school or visit a hospital. The children have since received medical checkups and have been placed in a child protection facility.