Two children, a nine-year-old boy and his six-year-old brother, were ‘filthy’ and only able to speak in their own primitive language when police discovered them
Two young boys discovered living in shocking conditions on a remote farm in northern Italy, wearing nappies and communicating in a rudimentary language only they understood, have been given a haunting nickname.
The siblings, aged nine and six, had never been enrolled in school, seen a doctor, or registered with any public authority. Found on a hillside farm in Lauriano, near Turin, they were completely unknown to the outside world — earning them the chilling nickname “ghost children” in local media.
Emergency services stumbled upon the children while evacuating the property due to a flood warning.
What they found stunned them.
The children were unwashed, the home was “filthy”, rubbish littered the garden and broken furniture was left outside alongside derelict trampolines left to rot in the sun.
READ MORE: Inside secluded farm where ‘ghost kids’, 6 and 9, lived ‘completely unknown’
Both children were born in Germany and later brought to Italy. Following their discovery, a Turin Juvenile Court ordered their immediate removal from their parents’ custody. The court concluded that the siblings had been “deprived of adequate assistance” and failed to receive even basic care.
Their father, a 54-year-old Dutch sculptor, claimed he had chosen to raise them in isolation to protect them from illness, including COVID-19.
He told Corriere Torino: “I love my children, I just wanted to protect them.”
He insisted they had access to laptops, musical instruments and skiing equipment. He even said they rode horses at a local riding school and visited restaurants and museums.
But despite his claims of homeschooling, the children were reportedly unable to read or write.
Their 38-year-old Dutch mother, believed to be homeless, showed little reaction during the intervention, according to reports from the NL Times.
Local authorities described the case as deeply troubling. Lauriano’s 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 described the father as “very reserved” and noted that he could not speak Italian. Residents were shocked to learn the children had been living there at all — many believed the farmhouse, which had changed ownership years earlier, was abandoned.
The siblings are now in state care while foster arrangements are made. It is still unclear whether their parents will face criminal charges.
READ MORE: Inside the sad lives of siblings, 9 and 6, found on ‘filthy farm’ speaking own unusual language