KEY POINTS

  • The girl had never seen a forest, been in a meadow or a car, but knew how to read and count
  • The mother told her estranged husband she left the country with the child to avoid suspicion
  • Neighbors tipped off the cops about a child kept locked in a room at the grandparents' home

An 8-year-old girl in Germany was rescued after she was allegedly kept locked in a room for most of her life, reports said.

The little girl, identified as Maria, was rescued from her grandparents' house in Attendorn, in the Sauerland region of western Germany on Sept. 23. Her mother had kept her locked in a room for around seven years, officials revealed this week, as reported by The Guardian.

When she was found, Maria had no signs of physical mistreatment or malnourishment. However, after spending most of her life in the locked room, she was "barely able to climb stairs on her own or navigate uneven ground," officials said.

During the medical examination, the girl reportedly revealed that she has never seen a forest, been in a meadow, or was never driven in a car. Although she has never attended any school, Maria could read and count. Officials have now shifted her to a foster care facility, ABC.net.au reported.

"She can't have managed to get much of a glimpse of the outside world," prosecutor Patrick Baron von Grotthuss told local news outlet SauerlandKurier.

Investigation revealed that around seven years ago, the accused woman told Maria's father and her estranged husband she was moving to Italy with their 6-month-old baby. Instead, she did not move and lived with her parents at their home, and kept the child away from the sight of anyone.

In September 2015, the child's father alerted the cops saying he has spotted the mother in Attendorn multiple times. However, upon questioning, the woman's parents said she moved to Italy with the child.

Italian officials confirmed to the authorities in Germany that the girl and her mother were not living in Italy. The investigation intensified in July this year after a married couple living in the area tipped off cops that the girl has been locked away at her grandparents' house for years.

The deputies searched the residence with a court order and rescued the girl. Meanwhile, officials have not revealed the motive behind the mother's act.

The girl's mother and her grandparents were faced with charges of deprivation of liberty and mistreatment which could end up in sentencing of up to 10 years in prison.

child kept locked in room
child kept locked in room pixabay