Mother arrested in Sweden for locking up son for almost 30 years

Steph Deschamps / December 1, 2020

Swedish authorities announced on Tuesday the arrest of a septuagenarian mother, suspected of having locked up her son for 28 years, discovered according to several media in their apartment in the suburbs of Stockholm with infected wounds, malnourished and having lost almost all his teeth.

The mother is suspected of unlawful deprivation of liberty and causing physical injuries, police spokesman Ola Österling told AFP. The 41-year-old son was locked up for a very long time in the family apartment in Haninge, a suburb of Stockholm, he said.

According to the Expressen and Aftonbladet dailies, his mother kept him locked up for 28 years, after taking him out of school when he was 12. "The alert was given by a member of the family, after seeing the son," the prosecution confirmed in a statement.

According to Swedish media, the man had infected wounds on his legs, could barely walk or speak, and had virtually no teeth. Police did not confirm these details, but said the son had been hospitalized.

There was urine, dirt and dust. It smelled musty (...) No one has been able to have cleaned for years, according to the member of the family who discovered it, quoted anonymously by Expressen. Lots of rubbish barely made it possible to sneak into the apartment, she said.

I am shocked, disgusted, but at the same time relieved. I have been waiting for this day for 20 years because I realized that she was completely in control of her life, but I never imagined this magnitude, she claimed. I'm just thankful that he got help and that he will survive, said the loved one again.