Latest news with #FranciscoJavierLozano
Mint
04-05-2025
- Mint
Three boys rescued from ‘house of horror' in Spain, were locked up since Covid-19 in 2021
Three boys were rescued from what the police described as the 'house of horror' in Spain on Wednesday, April 30. According to a local news portal, the children, 8-year-old twin boys and a 10-year-old boy, were locked up by a German couple in Oviedo, a northern city on the outskirts of Spain, since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. A police spokesperson told the local news that the boys had not left the house since December 2021. 'The parents were arrested... and the children were placed in a care home,' they said Spain's Chief Superintendent Francisco Javier Lozano described the house where the children were trapped as a 'house of horror'. The local media, citing police, said the house was 'completely filled with trash'. The police said the children were not allowed into the garden of the house and were forced to sleep in caged beds. 'They were cut off from contact with the outside world.' The report also claimed that the boys were forced to wear diapers and face masks. 'As soon as we got them out, all three began to take deep breaths as if they had never been in the fresh air before,' a police official told the news portal. A large quantity of medication was also found inside the house. According to the local news, a neighbour had noticed that the children did not go to school and had alerted the police previously, but no action was taken. However, during Monday's massive power outage in Spain, the police had visited the German couple's house when they demanded that the officers wear face masks. The couple, a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old woman, held dual German and American citizenship. They had been renting the single-family home on the outskirts of the city since October 2021. First Published: 4 May 2025, 07:57 AM IST
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Incredible moment children 'see sunlight for the first time in four years' after being rescued from House of Horrors where US mother and German father kept them in self-imposed 'Covid lockdown'
This is the incredible moment children held prisoner in a Spanish 'house of horrors' saw sunlight for the first time in nearly four years following a police rescue. Police in the northern city of Oviedo found three young boys between the ages of eight and ten in the house on Wednesday, having apparently been there since 2021. Investigators were concerned the children seemed unsteady as they walked outside for the first time in years - almost half the length of their lives. In an emotional moment, they began hyperventilating and threw themselves onto the lawn to stroke the grass, Bild reports. 'We have given three children back their lives,' said Chief Inspector Francisco Javier Lozano after the raid. Police in Oviedo visited the property on Monday, during the Spanish blackouts, and were horrified by the conditions the children were living in, DW reports. It is understood the family closed off to the world during the Covid-19 pandemic, forbidding the children from going outside, and making them sleep in caged beds. Police had previously ignored a tip from a neighbour, who raised concerns they had never seen the children go to school, DW reports. The parents, a 48-year-old woman with German-American citizenship and a 53-year-old German man, were arrested and the children placed in care. Spanish police said the house was in a disgusting state, with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines. Surfaces were covered in filthy pet excrement and the family also had a cat with a massive tumour. The children, two eight-year-old twin boys and their ten-year-old brother, were found wearing nappies and discovered they were forced to sleep in caged beds during their ordeal. The 'house of horrors', as investigators dubbed it, was discovered in Oviedo, the capital city of Asturias in northern Spain. The three young boys were freed having apparently lived solely in the house since December 2021. The motivation of the parents for keeping the children locked in their own home is not yet known, but the youngsters were all wearing three face masks each when they were discovered. Investigators told El Comercio that they believed the parents suffered from 'Covid syndrome' and lived in fear of the virus. The American mother, 48, reportedly told police that she and her German husband, 58, thought it was the best way to keep them safe. In shocking scenes, the children were kept out of school and forbidden to leave the house. Doors were locked and the windows were permanently closed. The children were not even allowed to go into the garden. Police said when the children were freed, one of them knelt on the grass and 'touched it with amazement'. Over the years, the children were kept so hidden that even neighbours did not realise they were in the house. The husband and wife duo are now being held in custody without bail pending further investigations following the discovery of the children. The operation and investigation into the children began on April 14th after a resident of the area raised the alarm. The woman had heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house although she had never seen anyone leave the home to play or go to school. But, after several days of surveillance, the investigators were clear that more than one person had to live there. This was indicated by the movements that could be sensed through the few windows that were not closed, and the number of boxes of food orders that the man brought into the home. After deciding to storm the property, agents could not believe what they found when they entered the house. The minors were barefoot, wearing diapers and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building, they did not even have shoes of their size, since they had not been bought shoes for years. The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, gave a press conference on Wednesday in which he explained the details of the operation that saw the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by an electricity outrage. When police knocked on the front door, the father answered but asked the officers to wait for a few minutes so the children could put their masks on. One officer told the Spanish press: 'They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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.' At the moment, the reasons that led this family to live in captivity since 2021 and in unsanitary conditions inside the Asturian villa are unknown. The children spoke mostly in English. After being evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. It is not ruled out that their parents will be charged with crimes of habitual abuse, abandonment of minors, and against fundamental rights. As a summary of the operation, the chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier López Lozano said: 'We have dismantled the house of horrors'.
Daily Mirror
01-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
Inside 'house of horrors' where kids held prisoner in nappies and cages
A couple is alleged to have kept their two twins and their 10-year-old brother captive in a house of horrors in the where they were forced to sleep in cages for four years Children freed from an alleged "house of horrors" where they were forced to sleep in cages for four years gave a heartbreaking reaction after their liberation. A German couple was arrested for alleged child abuse after officers raided their home. Three young boys, two twins aged eight and their 10-year-old brother, reportedly were held captive in the house for four years after Covid crisis began. The youngsters were all found wearing face masks, and when they were finally freed, they knelt on the grass and "touched it with amazement," according to police. The mother allegedly told police she thought it was the best way to keep them safe. Spanish police said the house in the Asturian capital Oviedo, in northern Spain, was in a disgusting state, with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines together with filthy pet excrement and a cat with a massive tumour. The children were forced to wear nappies and had to sleep in caged beds, police said. The children were kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. Doors were locked and windows permanently closed and they couldn't even go into the garden. Police said the children were kept so well hidden that neighbours did not know they were inside the home. A 53-year-old German husband and his wife, a 48-year-old American, with dual nationality are being held in custody without bail pending further investigations. The operation began on April 14 after a resident of the area raised the alarm. The woman had heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house although he had never seen anyone leave the house to play or go to school. But, after several days of surveillance, the investigators were clear that more than one person had to live there. This was indicated by the boxes of food of the orders that the man brought into the home. The agents could not believe what they found when they entered the house. The minors were barefoot, wearing nappies and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building, they did not even have shoes of their size, since they had not bought shoes for years. The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano, gave a press conference on Wednesday in which he explained the details of the operation, which resulted in the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by the electricity outrage. When officers knocked on the door, the dad answered but asked police to wait a few minutes so their children could put on masks, which was reported to be three each. One officer told the local press: "They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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." The children spoke mostly in English. After being evaluated at the Central University Hospital of Asturias, they have been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. It is not ruled out that their parents could be charged with crimes of habitual abuse, abandonment of minors, and against fundamental rights. As a summary of the operation, the words of the chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier López Lozano said: "We have dismantled the house of horrors".
Daily Record
01-05-2025
- Daily Record
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.
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Scottish Sun
Twins & brother, 8 & 10, discovered imprisoned in ‘House of Horrors' in Spain after being held captive since Covid
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) COPS have uncovered a "house of horrors" where parents kept three children captive since the beginning of the Covid pandemic. A German couple have been arrested for alleged child abuse after the police raided the house in Spain. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Cops freed three young children from a house where they had been held captive since the pandemic Credit: Spanish Police Image 9 The children were forced to sleep in caged beds 9 The house was also full of rubbish and pet excrement 9 Cops have arrested the children's parents for alleged child abuse Credit: AFP The police found three young boys at the Oviedo home - dubbed the "house of horrors" - who are thought to have lived there for four years since the pandemic began. The eight-year-old twins and ten-year-old boy were discovered in horrific conditions - each wearing three face masks and forced to wear nappies and sleep in caged beds. The police said the house was full of rubbish and old medicines as well as filthy pet excrement and a cat with a massive tumour. The children were reportedly kept out of school and were forbidden to leave the house. The doors were locked and windows permanently closed - even the garden was off limits. The children were kept so hidden that even neighbours did not realise they were in the house. Cops were only called when a resident in the area raised the alarm. The woman reportedly heard voices that sounded like children coming from the house despite never having seen anyone leave the house to play or go to school. After several days of surveillance cops were clear that more than just the man they saw coming in and out had to live there. This was indicated by the movements that could be sensed through the few windows that were not closed as well as the boxes of food of the orders that the man brought into the home. Connecticut woman who allegedly held stepson captive for over 20 years pleads not guilty But nothing could prepare the agents for what they would find when they entered the horror house. The children were barefoot, wearing nappies and still sleeping in cribs. When they wanted to take them out of the building they did not even have shoes of their size as they had not bought shoes for years. The police added that when the children were freed, one of them knelt on the grass and "touched it with amazement". The chief commissioner of the Local Police of Oviedo, Francisco Javier Lozano explained the details of the operation leading to the arrest of the couple at 2.45pm on Monday. The initial search of the house was reportedly made more difficult because Spain had been plunged into darkness by the electricity outrage. When the cops knocked on the front door, the father answered but asked the officers to wait for a few minutes so the children could put their masks on. 9 The boys have now been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality 9 The cops were horrified by what they found inside the house 9 The children were forbidden to leave the house One police officer told the Spanish press: "They were very scared and around the mother, who told us all the time that 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." Lozano added: "We have dismantled the house of horrors". The children's parents - a 53-year-old German husband and his 48-year-old American wife - are being held in custody without bail pending further investigations. It is unknown why the couple were keeping the kids locked inside their own home. But the mother has reportedly told police they thought it was the best way to keep them safe. Having been checked out at the Central University Hospital of Asturias the children have now been placed under the guardianship of the Government of the Principality. 9 The cops launched an investigation after a resident raised concerns that there may be people inside the house Credit: EPA
