Man rescued from apartment after being held captive by his mother for 28 years

Swedish authorities arrested a seventy-year-old woman this week. Why? Apparently, she had held captive her son for almost 30 years.

Man held captive in apartment

According to the Stockholm police, one of the man’s relatives discovered him in the apartment last month when his mother was in the hospital. The family member said that she had been concerned for the man for many years. 

The last time she had seen the mother and son together was twenty years ago. She said the son appeared nervous in public, and that the mother answered all questions on his behalf. Eventually, she said, they ran away from the encounter [1].

When his mother was in the hospital, she worried even more so about his well-being. She went to the apartment, unlocked the door, and entered the home. According to her account, there was urine, dirt, and dust everywhere, and the whole place smelled rotten [2].

She found the now 41-year-old in the kitchen sitting on blankets and pillows. He apparently had no teeth and had sores all over his legs.

“I’m in shock, brokenhearted, but at the same time relieved,” the relative said. “I’ve been waiting for this day for twenty years because I figured out that she was totally controlling his life, but I never imagined the extent of it.” [3]

She added that she thought he must be scared alone in the home because his mother was his only sense of security. She noted, however, that he was not afraid of her. He did, however, speak fairly incoherently.

Police Arrest His Mother

Police have arrested the woman, and questioned her on the suspicion of unlawful deprivation of liberty and grievous bodily harm. She, however, is denying all the claims they are making against her.

According to reports, the woman pulled her son out of school when he was just twelve years old, and has held him captive in the home ever since. Other neighbours told reporters that they had not seen the man in a long time. They wondered why the school or social services didn’t check on the situation when the boy abruptly stopped attending classes [3].

After finding the man, the relative took him to the hospital. Doctors reported that he had non-life-threatening injuries and that he was unable to walk or talk. Some reports say he needs surgery, however, doctors have not disclosed those details [1].

The police have not released the identities of anyone involved in the situation. The man is currently recovering in the hospital, and will hopefully have somewhere to go once he is healthy.

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