Latest news with #ghostchildren
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Father of boy, nine, and girl, seven, found in nappies on remote Italian farm 'hid the family away to protect them from COVID' and reveals why his children wore diapers in full interview
The father of the two young children who were found in diapers and living in filthy conditions on a remote Italian farm hid them from the world to protect them from catching Covid. The nine-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister had never been registered with a school or doctor and were completely unknown to the outside world. So when Italian authorities discovered them in a filthy and frightened state inside a dilapidated property near the town of Lauriano back in April, several questions were raised over the conditions they were found in. Their reclusive father, a 54-year-old Dutch sculptor named locally as Frederick, defended his decision to keep them hidden, explaining that he was afraid of his children catching Covid. He was also reportedly afraid of vaccinating his children against the virus and did not want them to wear masks at the height of the pandemic, which resulted in him hiding them away. 'I love my children. I just wanted to protect them,' he told local news outlet Corriere Torino. The children were born in Germany before moving to Italy. Frederick told the local newspaper that the family moved to Italy after he purchased the property. He insisted they had access to laptops, musical instruments, and even went skiing and horse riding. But authorities quickly realised the children - who have been dubbed 'ghost children' by local media - could neither read nor write and had no access to basic hygiene. Speaking about the fact his children were not known to authorities, he said that he intended to register them with the municipality, but never got around to doing so due to his wife's 'health problems'. 'They are not ghosts, they have a name and surname and are registered in Germany', he said. The siblings were discovered when emergency services arrived to evacuate the property following a flood warning back in April. When officers arrived, they found the property strewn with rotting furniture, rusting trampolines, and piles of rubbish. But most shockingly, the siblings were found wearing nappies far beyond their usual age. Frederick claimed that the reason for this was because he forgot to pack their underwear after they got evacuated from the property during the floods. 'During the hasty evacuation of the house I forgot the little ones' underwear and at the nursery they gave me some diapers and they put those on', he told Corriere Della Sera. The children were immediately taken into care following an emergency order from the Turin Juvenile Court. 'There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it,' the court ruled. The children's mother, 38, who Frederick said is of Moroccan origin, is believed to be homeless and reportedly showed little concern when officials removed her children, according to Dutch media. Commenting on the shocking case, Mayor Mara Bacolla explained how the father 'made the farmhouse independent from an energy and water point of view. For this reason he managed to isolate himself.' Mayor Baccolla said the case had rocked the small community. 'It is a very delicate matter,' she said. 'These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name.' She described the father as 'very reserved' and unable to speak Italian. Locals were left stunned – while some had noticed the farmhouse changing hands, no one had seen or heard signs of children inside. The children are now being cared for by the state as foster arrangements are put in place. 'I will fight until they are returned to us. We want to live in Italy, in this wonderful country that has gone too far in taking our children away from us... I am not the bogeyman and I miss them so much', Frederick said. It comes after three boys were allegedly locked inside their home for four years by their Covid-obsessed parents in northern Spain. They were discovered by authorities in April and had apparently been kept in the residence since 2021. 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. The interior of the house was littered with hoards of rubbish and mountains of accumulated medicines, Spanish police said. 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 reportedly wearing nappies when police found them. Investigators were concerned the children seemed unsteady as they walked outside for the first time in years - almost half the length of their lives. The parents, Melissa Ann Steffen, 48, who has German-American citizenship and Christian Steffen, a 53-year-old German tech recruiter, were ultimately arrested and the children placed in care.
The Sun
a day ago
- The Sun
Dad of ‘ghost children', 6 & 9, found in woods & unable to speak insists he turned home into ‘bunker to protect them'
THE DAD of the "ghost children" who were found living in the woods and unable to speak has insisted he turned their home into a "bunker to protect them". The brother and sister, aged nine and six, were discovered by horrified cops still wearing nappies and only able to communicate through their own primitive language. 3 3 3 The children's parents never registered them with health officials or schools, with local media labelling them as "ghost children" due to their existence remaining unknown for so many years. The young kids were said to be "filthy" when astonished cops made the heartbreaking discovery in Lauriano, northern Italy. Local media reports on Monday say their 54-year-old sculptor dad and 38-year-old mum are both Dutch nationals. The dad claimed he "just wanted to protect" his children so turned the family's farmhouse into a self-sufficient "bunker". He told local newspaper Corriere Torino: "My wife and I provide them with everything they need. "They have lots of toys, each their own laptop, lots of musical instruments and their own ski equipment. "They go pony riding at the stables and spend a lot of time outdoors in restaurants and museums." The children's dad also claimed he was homeschooling the pair, despite neither of them being able to read or write, local media reports. The 54-year-old also reportedly said his decision to raise his children in what appears to be complete isolation was motivated by fear of infections like Covid-19. The children were reportedly born in Germany before being moved over to a town in Turin. Harrowing images of the ramshackle farm show random broken and abandoned furniture thrown outside and derelict trampolines that had clearly been left to rot. Rubbish was also captured strewn across the garden. The reclusive family was only discovered when cops arrived at their hillside farm to evacuate them after a flooding alert. The Turin Juvenile Court ordered the immediate removal of the children from their parents. It said in its ruling: "There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it." The children have been taken into state care while arrangements are made for them to be taken into foster care. During the removal process, concerns were raised about their mum, who is said to have shown little interest in her own kids, NL Times reports. It's thought she is homeless, the news site added. Local mayor Mara Baccolla said: "It is a very delicate matter. "These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name." She also reportedly spoke of meeting the dad once and described him as being "very reserved" who was unable to speak Italian. Residents of the town near the farm have shared their shock about the children's existence. Despite it being known the farmhouse had changed owners, no one had visited the property in that time. It's unclear if the parents face further action. By Rita Sobot and Lydia Doye 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. 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 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. 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. 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".
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Boy, nine, and seven-year-old sister found in nappies and 'unable to speak' hidden living on remote farm - as father says 'I just wanted to protect them'
Two young children were found living hidden on a remote farm in nappies and only able to speak their own primitive language. The siblings – a nine-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister – were found during an emergency evacuation of a dilapidated property near Lauriano, outside Turin, Italy as floods threatened the isolated area. But what rescuers stumbled upon left even seasoned officers stunned. The children, believed to have been born in Germany before being brought to Italy, had never seen a doctor or set foot in a school. They were filthy, frightened, and entirely unknown to local authorities – described by shocked Italian media as 'ghost children'. Wearing nappies far beyond the usual age, the pair communicated only in a primitive language understood by no one but themselves. When officers arrived, they found the property strewn with rotting furniture, rusting trampolines, and piles of rubbish. The family had been living in squalor, with no apparent access to education or basic hygiene. Their reclusive father, a 54-year-old Dutch sculptor, defended his decision to keep them hidden. 'I love my children. I just wanted to protect them,' he told Corriere Torino, claiming fears over infection – including Covid – had driven the family's isolation. He insisted they had access to laptops, musical instruments, and even went skiing and horse riding – but authorities quickly realised the children could neither read nor write. The children were immediately taken into care following an emergency order from the Turin Juvenile Court. 'There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it,' the court ruled. The children's mother, 38, and also Dutch, is believed to be homeless and reportedly showed little concern when officials removed her children, according to Dutch media. Mayor Mara Baccolla said the case had rocked the small community. 'It is a very delicate matter,' she said. 'These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name.' She described the father as 'very reserved' and unable to speak Italian. Locals were left stunned – while some had noticed the farmhouse changing hands, no one had seen or heard signs of children inside. The children are now being cared for by the state as foster arrangements are put in place.
The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
Brother and sister, 9 and 6, found living off-grid in farm wearing nappies & only able to speak in primitive language
A BROTHER and sister have been discovered by horrified cops living off-grid on a farm - with no contact with the outside world. The siblings, aged nine and six, were found still wearing nappies and only able to communicate through their own primitive language. 3 3 3 The children's parents never registered them with health officials or schools, with local media labelling the two as "ghost children" due to their existence remaining unknown for so many years. The young kids were said to be "filthy" when astonished cops made the heartbreaking discovery in Lauriano, northern Italy. Local media reports on Monday say their 54-year-old sculptor dad and 38-year-old mum are both Dutch nationals. Their dad claimed he was homeschooling the pair, despite neither of them being able to read or write, local media reports. He told Italian newspaper Corriere Torino: "I love my children, I just wanted to protect them." The 54-year-old also reportedly said his decision to raise his children in what appears to be complete isolation was motivated by fear of infections like Covid-19. He also argued that the brother and sister had "a lot of toys, each their own laptop, many musical instruments, and good ski equipment". He even said they rode horses at a local riding school and visited restaurants and museums. The children were reportedly born in Germany before being moved over to a town in Turin. Harrowing images of the ramshackle farm show random broken and abandoned furniture chucked outside and derelict trampolines that had clearly been left to rot. Worker at £1,900-a-month nursery 'punched, grabbed and pinched 23 crying babies' Rubbish was also captured strewn across the garden. The reclusive family was only discovered when cops arrived at their hillside farm to evacuate them after a flooding alert. The Turin Juvenile Court ordered the immediate removal of the children from their parents. It said in its ruling: "There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it." The children have been taken into state care while arrangements are made for them to be taken into foster care. During the removal process, concerns were raised about their mum, who is said to have shown little interest in her own kids, NL Times reports. It's thought she is homeless, the news site added. Local mayor Mara Baccolla said: "It is a very delicate matter. "These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name." She also reportedly spoke of meeting the dad once and described him as being "very reserved" who was unable to speak Italian. Residents of the town near the farm have shared their shock about the children's existence remaining completely unknown until now. Despite it being known the farmhouse had changed owners, no one had visited the property in that time. It currently remains unclear if the parents face further action. Twins & brother, 8 & 10, discovered imprisoned in 'House of Horrors' By Rita Sobot and Lydia Doye 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. 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 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. 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. 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".
