Authorities in Spain discover children hidden from the world in alleged extreme pandemic-driven isolation
Three children were rescued from a home in Oviedo, Spain. They had allegedly been locked inside for nearly four years by parents with severe COVID-related delusions.
The children, twin eight-year-olds and their ten-year-old sibling, had been isolated indoors since approximately December 2021, long after lockdowns had ended worldwide.
Couple arrested for forcing children to live under strict COVID restrictions for years
The parents are a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old German-American woman. They allegedly enforced extreme COVID rules that went far beyond official health guidelines.
An investigator also said: “As soon as we got them out, all three children began to breathe deeply, as if they had never been outside before”.
Children were reportedly forced to wear multiple masks indoors and kept from going outside, including for school or play.
Authorities found them in unhygienic conditions, surrounded by piles of masks, expired medicine, and a “pathogenic environment.”
Police became suspicious after years of no public sightings of the family
Oviedo police launched an investigation after a neighbor reported on April 14 that the children had not attended school or been seen outside the home.
Officers observed that only the father ever left the house—to collect mail or shop—while the rest of the family appeared completely absent from public life.
Upon visiting the residence, police were allowed inside and found the mother placing three surgical masks on each child, claiming they were severely ill.
The children’s reactions revealed the depth of their isolation from the outside world
Rescue officers were shocked by the children’s extreme behavior. They noted that they were mesmerized by common outdoor sights like snails, grass, and fresh air.
An officer stated the children immediately began deeply inhaling fresh air, as if they had not experienced the outdoors in years.
During the press conference, Lozano described the property as a “house of horrors,” while a different agent spoke to El Mundo, saying:
“The children were in terrible shape. It was absolutely outrageous. Not malnourished, because they were fed. But they were also dirty… [and] completely cut off from reality, and not just because they didn’t go to school.”
The agent added: “When we took them out of the house, into the garden, where they wouldn’t even go outside, they saw a snail and went crazy, freaked out.”
The children slept in cribs unsuitable for their age, indicating neglect. They were surrounded by defaced toys and “monsters,” hinting at emotional trauma and developmental issues.
Despite the warnings from the parents, doctors confirmed that the children did not suffer from any serious medical conditions.
They were also found not to be malnourished, although they were unclean. Officials reported that the children had been psychologically abused. As a result, charges of domestic violence and child endangerment were brought forward.
Parents with ‘COVID syndrome’ face serious legal consequences.
Police suggest that the parents could be dealing with a psychological condition known as “COVID syndrome.”
This condition is marked by irrational and harmful behavior due to an intense fear of infection. Oviedo Police Chief Javier Lozano commented, “We’ve all been affected by the pandemic.” However, he emphasized that this family took isolation to an extreme, which ultimately harmed their children.
The couple is currently being held in pretrial detention without bail, while the children have been placed in protective care at a juvenile center.