Inside ‘house of horrors’ where three kids were ‘held captive’ by ‘Covid syndrome’ parents for four years

Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.

Three children were reportedly ‘held captive’ by their ‘Covid syndrome’ parents for the last four years, as police detail what they dubbed the 'house of horrors' as they rescued them.

A German man and American woman were arrested in Oviedo, northeast Spain, on Monday (28 April) as two eight-year-old twins and a 10-year-old have been placed in government custody.

It is said they have been stuck inside the home since December 2021 with their parents reportedly fearing the spread of Covid-19.

Spanish outlet, ABC, reported that the parents have been charged with domestic violence, habitual psychological abuse and child abandonment.

Speaking at a news conference, Oviedo Police Chief Javier Lozano said they have given the kids ‘back their lives’ and ‘have dismantled the house of horrors’.

The children are said to have 'freaked out' when they saw outside. (Police Handout)

'The children were in terrible shape'

It is reported that an investigation began when a neighbour complained earlier last month about children in the home not going to school.

And another Spanish outlet, El Mundo, added that locals claimed to police they hadn’t seen anyone go in or come out of the property since the late 2021.

When officers showed up during the power cut at the start of the week, they found the place to be ‘quite full’ of rubbish and crammed with medications and face masks with ‘boxes everywhere’.

Officers say when they showed up the mother told them of the kids: “Please be very careful, they are very sick.”

Images of inside the home show small cribs that the children slept in covered with drawings of monsters with sharp teeth and scribbles. There was reportedly also ‘defaced dolls’ found.

It was also later revealed that the three siblings did not appear to be suffering from any illness.

“The children were in terrible shape, it was absolutely outrageous. Not malnourished, because they were fed,” Lozano said, per El Mundo.

The children are said to have slept in small cots. (Police Handout)

“But they were also dirty, and kidnapped, completely cut off from reality, and not just because they didn't go to school.”

'They wouldn't even go outside'

After leaving the locked up home with windows that were never opened, it is said the kids ‘freaked out’.

“When we took them out of the house, into the garden, where they wouldn't even go outside, they saw a snail and went crazy,” Lozano added.

Neighbours say they didn’t even realise there were kids in the house with it appearing so closed up with blinds down and ‘no noise’ and ‘nothing to indicate life’.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.