A nine-year-old boy and his seven-year-old sister have been found living hidden away on a distant farm still wearing nappies and only capable of speak in their very own primitive language,
The siblings were said to be ‘filthy’ when discovered by horrified officers during an evacuation of a dilapidated property near Lauriano, outside Turin, Italy, amid the specter of flooding.
Their parents never registered them with health officials or schools, with local media reports labelling them ‘ghost children’ resulting from their existence cut off from the surface world.
Local media reports say their 54-year-old sculptor father and 38-year-old mother are each Dutch nationals.
Their dad claimed he was homeschooling the pair, despite neither of them with the ability to read or write, local media reports.
Citing fears of infections like Covid-19, he told Italian newspaper Corriere Torino: ‘I really like my children, I just desired to protect them.’
The person insisted the kids had access to laptops, musical instruments, and even went skiing and horse riding – but authorities quickly realised the kids could neither read nor write.
Each children were immediately taken into care following an emergency order from the Turin Juvenile Court.
It said in its ruling: ‘There are facts that suggest that the minors are deprived of adequate assistance from their parents or relatives who’re required to supply it.’
Arrangements are made for the kids to be taken into foster care.
Local mayor Mara Baccolla said: ‘It’s a really delicate matter. These children can finally discover a balance and have access to a life worthy of the name.’
She described the daddy as appearing ‘very reserved’ and unable to talk Italian.
Neighbours have shared their shock at the kids’s existence. While some noticed the farmhouse changing hands, none said they ever saw or heard kids inside.
were left stunned – while some had noticed the farmhouse changing hands, nobody had seen or heard signs of kids inside.
It’s unclear if the parents face further motion.
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