France, April 12 -- The child was reportedly discovered on Monday in Hagenbach, near the borders with Switzerland and Germany, after a neighbour alerted police to the "sounds of a child" coming from a parked vehicle. According to local prosecutor Nicolas Heitz, officers forced the van open and found the boy in a dire condition.

He was lying in a foetal position, naked under a blanket, on top of a mound of rubbish and close to excrement. Authorities said he was severely malnourished and unable to walk, having been confined in a seated position for an extended period. The child has since been taken to hospital for treatment, while his father has been detained.

Investigators believe the boy had been living in the van since November 2024. H...