In Northern Italy, two neglected Dutch children aged 9 and 6 have been discovered, according to various Italian media outlets, including Corriere della Sera.
The juvenile court in Turin has ruled that the parents are unfit to care for the children, who have been placed in protective custody. Italian media have reacted with shock, referring to the children as “the ghost brothers.”
Police officers delivering an evacuation order due to local flooding found the brothers in April on a remote farm in Lauriano, northeast of Turin. The children were wearing nappies and were unable to speak, read, or write, and were found in appalling hygienic conditions.
Reports suggest that the children were taken to the isolated forest to avoid contact, particularly with the COVID-19 virus. The 54-year-old father is reportedly obsessed with virus dangers and conspiracy theories. He has allegedly lived at the farm for at least three years and is described as a sculptor and metalworker. Local authorities had no records of the 38-year-old mother or the two children.
