A Swedish mother has been taken in by police after she allegedly kept her 41-year-old son imprisoned for 28 years in her apartment.
Police received a call, surprisingly after a family member broke into the flat and found the man locked inside.
The woman’s son was brought to a hospital after he was found extremely malnourished, had open wounds covering his legs, sores, was toothless, and hardly able to walk.
He was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Police then arrested the mother and sealed off the flat.
According to local media reports the mother kept her son locked in the flat after pulling him out of school back in 1984 when he was 12-years-old.
The Aftonbladet newspaper reported that she was “very overprotective” of her child due to a “family accident” that took place many years ago.
Woman in Sweden suspected of keeping son locked up for 28 years https://t.co/hhlwNVYhFH
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) December 1, 2020
According to the neighbors, the woman’s flat was in terrible condition and had a candle placed on the window for about 30 years.
They say she would often chat with them, but when asked about her son she would say he was “fine” and swiftly move to another subject.
Some neighbors say they never met her son and were not aware that he was living in the apartment until the arrival of the authorities.
One of the mother’s family members made the shocking discovering after suspecting she was controlling her son’s life but was not aware of the severity of the situation.
She broke into the apartment while the mother was in hospital for over a week and found the man lying on a blanket on the kitchen floor.
The person said the apartment had not been cleaned in years and stunk of rotten food and urine.
Garbage was everywhere and it was difficult for her to walk through it.
The son was left with just a cheese sandwich, a bowl of chips, and a can of mackerel to last him for days.
Police in Sweden say an elderly woman is suspected of keeping her son locked in an apartment for nearly three decades:https://t.co/CL8hc6puCj
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) December 1, 2020
The relative had not seen him in over 20 years, but he recognized her and whispered her name.
“I’m in shock, brokenhearted, but at the same time relieved. I’ve been waiting for this day for 20 years because I figured out that she was totally controlling his life, but I never imagined the extent of it,” the relative said.
“I’m just thankful that he got help and is going to survive.”
The mother is suspected of illegal deprivation of liberty causing physical injuries, Ola Osterling, a spokesperson for the Stockholm police told AFP.
She denies all allegations.
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