8-Yr.-Old Boy Rescued After Being Kept Locked In Garage For Four Years Wednesday November 26, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
It's a case that has stunned South Africa and it has many wondering how it could have gone undetected for so long.
Authorities in Johannesburg have rescued an 8-year-old boy who was kept hidden in has father's garage for the past four years.
The story, which first surfaced on Tuesday, actually came to light last week, after neighbours heard a child pleading for help and trying to push a few meager coins through a crack in the wall of a house, asking someone to get him something to eat.
Police were called and discovered the boy's father had collapsed five days earlier and required hospital treatment. But when they went to check on his son they were astonished to discover he'd been kept a virtual prisoner in the garage for nearly half a decade.
The child, who otherwise appeared to be in relatively good health, was wearing ripped clothing and was described by neighbours as having a wild appearance and unruly behaviour. He's now undergoing psychiatric treatment in the hopes he can still have some kind of normal life.
His neighbours have dubbed him "Tarzan of Suburbia" because of his isolation in an urban jungle. Police have since determined that the boy was occasionally allowed out into a secluded garden but otherwise had no contact with anyone expect his father and was generally kept hidden away.
Reports indicate his dad never revealed his son's existence to anyone, after he got an unmarried co-worker pregnant. The mother has since moved away and does not appear to have inquired about the fate of her unwanted baby.
Those who live nearby say the dad became obsessed with security and converted his home into a virtual fortress. It was so isolated it took rescue workers some time to get in.
They apparently found the boy running up and down in the secluded garden, screaming that he needed to 'hide' as his rescuers approached. Local media reports indicate his dad would allow him to watch TV and DVDs, especially documentaries on WWII, which the youngster seems to believe was still going on.
He was also made to monitor the security cameras his father had set up around the house. And when a neighbour took the bedraggled youngster in after his discovery, he noticed that the child would play with some toys and then demand to be allowed to hide them.
The boy began rambling on about Nazis, the war and Pearl Harbor when he came into contact with child welfare officials, who came to take him away from the prison where he'd been held for so long.
It's not clear why the father allegedly chose to hide his son. Police don't believe there was any sexual motive involved and think the man was simply mentally ill, paranoid and delusional. It's a legacy he's sadly passed on to his son.
The parent has been unable to explain his alleged actions, noting only that he lacked the proper documents to send him to school. He remains in hospital and charges against him are expected.
There is one other odd aspect to this story. Though it happened in Johannesburg, the accused parent is originally from Austria. That fact is drawing attention because it's the third case of someone from that country being accused of holding children hostage for a long period of time.
Joseph Fritzl is awaiting trial on allegations he kept his daughter locked up in a secret cell beneath his home for 24 years, fathering seven children by her during her captivity.
That was preceded by another notorious incident in which a 10-year old on her way to school was kidnapped and kept in a locked room for eight years, before finally escaping. Her abductor killed himself when he realized she'd gotten away.
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What is with these crazy Austrian's? Don't trust an Austrian any farther than you can throw them,
...especially one's whose first names start with 'A'. You never know what they're likely to do?
