Three masked children held captive in 'house of horrors' since Covid pandemic
A mum suspected of imprisoning her children in a "house of horrors" since the peak of Covid gave police a chilling reason for the crime as she was handcuffed. Neighbours had sounded the alarm after hearing children's noises from the house, despite never witnessing any children entering or leaving. Police kept surveillance on the property in Oviedo, Spain, for several days before storming it and discovering three young boys who had been confined to the home for four years, reports the Mirror . The doors were kept locked and windows permanently shut, with police later reporting one of the freed children kneeling on the grass and touching it in "amazement". Spanish authorities described the house as being in a disgusting condition, filled with piles of rubbish and mountains of unused medicines. The children , twin eight-year-old boys and their 10-year-old brother, were made to wear nappies and sleep in caged beds. One officer told local media that the mother had insisted her children had "serious pathogens". The officer added: "They were very scared and around the mother , who told us all the time the little ones had serious pathologies and that we should not approach them. "They had three masks, each on top of each other. They were oblivious to any contact with reality." When police arrived to rescue them, they didn't even have properly fitting shoes. Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano of the Local Police of Oviedo told a press conference that the German couple had been detained. The initial search of the house was made more difficult due to the nationwide power outage that had plunged the country into darkness. Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano said: "We have dismantled the house of horrors." When police visited the residence, the father requested a few minutes to allow the children to put on their masks before answering the door. The children , who primarily spoke English, underwent evaluation at the Central University Hospital of Asturias and were placed under the care of the Government of the Principality. The 53-year-old husband and his 48-year-old American wife, who holds dual nationality, are currently being held without bail pending further investigation. The couple is expected to face charges of habitual abuse, child abandonment, and violating fundamental rights.
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