Spanish police said on Wednesday that they had arrested a German couple accused of keeping their three young children confined in appalling conditions for over three years, inside a residence that local media has labelled the ‘house of horrors’.
Police in the Asturias region said during a press briefing that the children – 10 years old and eight-year-old twins – had not been sent to school, appeared ‘neglected’, and were living ‘surrounded by rubbish’.
The case came to light earlier this month after a local resident raised concerns about the household. Investigators discovered that, contrary to the official civil register that listed only one adult male, several individuals were living there – including children who had not been enrolled in any school.
One of the pivotal signs something was amiss was the constant stream of deliveries to the house. Neighbours noted that no one had been seen leaving the property since it was rented in October 2021, in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘We were all affected by the Covid syndrome … we can in some way speculate on what may have led a family to be locked up like that for a long time,’ said police commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano García.
Officers also reported finding a large stockpile of medication inside the home.
According to local news reports, the children were discovered wearing nappies and each had on a surgical mask. The father reportedly insisted that police put on masks before entering the premises.
‘The fact that they were wearing masks may be anecdotal or may have a basis,’ said Lozano García.
Spanish media has reported that the interior of the home was described as nauseating, with all window blinds closed. Witnesses said that when the children finally stepped outside, they touched the grass ‘with fascination, as if they had never been outdoors before’.
A medical professional examined the siblings, after which they were taken into the care of a child protection facility.
The couple was detained in Oviedo on Monday, and authorities are now working to uncover the reasons behind their move to Spain and the circumstances that led to their isolation.
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Los niños de la ‘casa de los horrores’ de Oviedo alucinaron al ver el jardín y “se quedaron mirando mucho tiempo a un caracol” https://t.co/cl2yEg13TK
— Informativos Telecinco (@informativost5) May 1, 2025
🚔🧒🧒🏠 La Policía Local de Oviedo considera que hay indicios suficientes de criminalidad en la llamada ya “casa de los horrores”. El comisario jefe da detalles del operativo para detener a un matrimonio que tuvo años encerrados a sus hijos. #Oviedo #Infancia #Rescate pic.twitter.com/oNXRi7zmrO
— TPA Noticias (@TPAnoticias) April 30, 2025
Los menores de la ‘casa de los horrores’ de Oviedo están “físicamente bien” y su evaluación se completará en los próximos días: “Ya empiezan a relacionarse” https://t.co/L2HHZgtILD
— Informativos Telecinco (@informativost5) May 2, 2025
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