The horror conditions two young children were found living in in an off-grid farmhouse in northern Italy have been revealed, with one of their parents trying to justify his actions
In a heartbreaking case that astonished local police, two siblings, aged nine and six, were found to be living in a rural farmhouse still wearing nappies and only able to speak in their own, primitive language.
The young children had never been registered with a doctor nor had they attended any school, leaving them with the nickname ‘ghost children’. The siblings’ existence remained unknown for years thanks to their parents – a 54-year-old sculptor dad called Frederick and a 38-year-old mum.
The “filthy” children were discovered living in the fully off-grid home with independent power and water in the woods in Lauriano, northern Italy, by horrified military cops intending to evacuate them due to a flooding alert.
The parents, who are both Dutch nationals, went onto attempt to explain their motivation at keeping their children hidden.
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“My wife and I provide them with everything they need,” the father told local newspaper Corriere Torino. “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.”
Said to be obsessed with conspiracy theories, the father claimed he had turned the family’s farmhouse into a self-sufficient “bunker” to protect his kids from infections like Covid-19. He also insisted he had been homeschooling the pair but neither of them were able to speak, read or write.
Harrowing pictures of outside of the ramshackle home showed rubbish strewn through the garden, broken and abandoned furniture and trampolines left to rot. The couple living in the reclusive accommodation were said to have been born in Germany before relocating to a town in Turin, Italy.
A court in the Italian town ordered the immediate removal of the children from their parents and they were taken into state care with a view to finding them a suitable foster carer. The Turin Juvenile Court ruling read: “There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who are required to provide it.”
It is not yet known if the parents will face criminal action. As for the kids’ mum, NL Times reported she was homeless and described her as “detached”, saying she had shown little interest in her children. Local authorities had records of the metalworker father living in the home for three years but there was no trace of the mother or her children.
“It is a very delicate matter,” said mayor Mara Baccolla, who said the father of the youngsters was reserved and unable to speak Italian.. “These children can finally find a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name.”