Three Children Rescued from 'House of Horrors' in Spain After Four Years of Isolation

Three young boys, including twin eight-year-olds and their ten-year-old brother, were rescued by police in Oviedo, Spain after being confined inside their home for nearly four years by their parents, a German man and an American woman, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The children, who had been forced to sleep in caged beds, wear nappies, and rarely if ever go outside, appeared frightened and unsteady as they saw sunlight and touched grass for the first time since 2021. The house was found in squalid conditions, filled with garbage, expired medication, filthy pet excrement, and disturbing drawings, with neighbors reporting the children’s prolonged absence from school. Despite Spain lifting pandemic restrictions in 2022, the family remained isolated, citing fear of COVID-19. The parents were arrested on multiple charges including child abuse, psychological abuse, and child abandonment, and the children were placed into care. Authorities noted previous warnings from neighbors were initially ignored, raising questions about intervention and oversight.