Swedish authorities are investigating a mother suspected of keeping her son locked away for over two decades.
In Stockholm, Sweden, police believe that a woman in her 70’s held her now 41-year-old son captive inside of her apartment for 28 years. The man was rescued when a relative entered the apartment on Sunday after the elderly woman was admitted to a hospital. Once there, the relative noticed “urine, dirt and dust” throughout the flat and that “it smelled rotten.”
“No one could have cleaned that home for many years,” the relative told Swedish newspaper, Expressen.
After hearing a noise, she ventured further inside the kitchen and discovered the man with infected sores covering his legs sitting on blankets and pillows. According to the relative, he had no teeth, could barely walk, and his speech was not very clear.
“He spoke very fast and a little incoherently, but he was not afraid of me,” she said.
The man was admitted to a local hospital to be treated for “the physical injuries he had when he was found.” However, Prosecutor Emma Olsson, who heads the preliminary investigation, would only provide few details on the man’s condition.
“The man is in hospital. His injuries are not life-threatening,” Olsson said, also adding that the injuries did require surgery.
The mother is being held on suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty and grievous bodily harm. She has denied any wrongdoing. The woman nor her son or the relative have been named.
According to reports, the mother removed her son from school when he was just 13. She has held him captive ever since.
“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 stated. “I’m just thankful that he got help and is going to survive.”
It is unclear where the man will live after his hospital stay.
