Eight-year-old girl IMPRISONED inside room since she was 18 months old by mom and grandparents is rescued
If you or anyone you know suspects child abuse, you are urged to immediately call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential and the hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
ATTENDORN, GERMANY: An eight-year-old girl has reportedly been saved from captivity she was placed in by her mother and grandparents in western Germany by the youth welfare office and the police. The little girl, reportedly identified only as Maria, had been living in a locked room at her grandparents’ house in Attendorn since she was just 18 months old.
According to prosecutor Patrick Baron von Grotthuss, as reported by local newspaper SauerlandKurier, “The child may not have consciously noticed much of the outside world,” while noting that she was “barely able to climb stairs or overcome bumps in the ground on her own."
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After being rescued in September, Maria was reportedly checked by doctors, who saw no signs of physical abuse or malnourishment, but she is reportedly being treated for any psychological consequences since she had apparently been kept locked indoors since 2015.
Investigators are working to find out why the girl’s guardian, including her mother identified only as Rosemarie G, kept her locked. It has also been reported that the victim’s father got separated from her mother in 2013, the year she was born. The father apparently got into a new relationship, which left Maria’s mother angry and she told him that she was going to Italy with the child.
However, the man’s suspicion grew when “his correspondence to the girl in Italy went unanswered,” PEOPLE reported, who also noted that “another relative then told police that she had visited the house in Italy where Rosemarie G and Maria were supposed to be living and discovered they had never resided there.”
Eventually, police got involved and after getting a search warrant, they found Maria on September 23. Following her rescue, she was reportedly shifted to a foster home, where is being provided medical and psychological care. There are chances that in future, her father will get her custody.
The case has been probed by the public prosecutor's office in Siegen. The authorities are grilling questioning Rosemarie G and her parents on suspicion of deprivation of liberty and the abuse of wards. If the mother is found guilty of locking away her daughter, she could reportedly be sent behind bars for several years.
District Administrator Theo Melcher reportedly said, “I hope the investigations will provide answers to the question that affects us all, why the girl was hidden for so many years and why she was denied a 'normal' child life. But I am pleased that the girl was able to be freed from this situation and that she is apparently in good health.”
Some people have reacted to the unfortunate case on Twitter. A user wrote, “Such a horrible story, I pray and believe that Maria will grow up to be a healthy, happy, self confident and self sustaining adult under the protection of German government.” Another user tweeted, “Lock them all up and throw away the keys.” “There is a special kind of Hell for these people,” another chimed in.
Such a horrible story, I pray and believe that Maria will grow up to be a healthy, happy, self confident and self sustaining adult under the protection of German government.
— Yamanaga💙blue heart checked (@Yamanaga2) November 8, 2022
There is a special kind of Hell for these people. 🤬
— SznOfTheWitch 🎃⚜️🧡🖤👻 (@MereLaveau) November 7, 2022
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