Father has isolated children Neglected boys found in northern Italy

Carabinieri discover them in a house in the forest. According to media reports, the 6 and 9-year-old brothers can barely speak and were still wearing diapers at the time.

DPA

04.07.2025, 22:42

dpa

According to media reports, police officers found two neglected boys in the northern Italian village of Lauriano. The 6 and 9-year-old brothers were born in Germany, according to the local Italian edition of the daily newspaper "Corriere della Sera ". It was not known exactly where. The boys could barely speak and wore diapers despite their age. The "Bild" newspaper also reported on Friday.

The father, a 54-year-old sculptor, is said to have isolated his children on a farm in the Piedmont forest, around 30 kilometers from Turin, for fear of contracting Covid. According to the Corriere della Sera, no one in the village had noticed the children. According to the Italian news agency Ansa, the children have no registered name and never attended school. They had lived in precarious hygienic conditions.

"According to Corriere della Sera, the children were found by chance: During an evacuation following a flood back in April, the Italian Carabinieri searched the farmhouse. The case has only now caused a stir in Italy.

Children in the care of social services

The Dutch parents are said to have lived in Germany before moving to Italy. According to media reports, the father was "obsessed" with coronavirus and did not want his children to be vaccinated or wear masks. Accordingly, the juvenile court declared the parents incapable of caring for the children. As "Corriere della Sera" writes, the siblings were taken into care by social services and are now living in a protected facility. In addition, the juvenile prosecutor's office is said to have initiated adoption proceedings.