RESIDENTS of the quiet Asturian hamlet of Toleo remain in disbelief following the discovery of three children who had allegedly been kept in near-total isolation for nearly four years in what is now being dubbed Spain’s ‘house of horrors.’

The revelation has stunned locals who lived just metres away from the secluded property where a German-American couple are accused of raising their children in squalor and secrecy, without access to the outside world. 

The couple, a 53-year-old man and his 48-year-old wife, were arrested on Monday after police, acting on a tip-off from a neighbour, entered the villa located near the convent of the Carmelite nuns.

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Inside, officers found eight-year-old twins and a ten-year-old living in ‘seriously neglected’ conditions, surrounded by faeces, garbage, a sick cat, and sealed windows that had kept them hidden from the outside world. 

The children, all wearing pyjamas and triple-layered face masks, had reportedly not left the house since late 2021.

“When we brought them outside, they all began to breathe deeply, as if they had never been outdoors before,” an officer involved in the rescue said. “One of them touched the grass with his hands, amazed.”

One of the closest neighbours, Silvia, began to grow suspicious after hearing faint children’s voices and noticing subtle movements of curtains. 

She alerted Oviedo’s Family and Childhood Services on April 14. 

Her tip led to an investigation that culminated in the police operation earlier this week, which took place during Spain’s nationwide blackout.

Local officials have expressed shock that such a case could go undetected for so long. 

“We have returned three children to life. I never imagined something like this could happen in our country,” said Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano at a press conference.

Neighbours say they were completely unaware that a family had been living at number 15A, which lies just 1.9 km from Oviedo’s city centre. 

The father was rarely seen and only opened the door for food deliveries or the postman.

Marino Guardado, a resident of Toleo for over two decades, told elDiario.es: “In these four years that the house was rented to this German couple with three children, I never saw anyone – no man, no woman, no children, no dog, no cat. For me, there was no one living there.”

The Carmelite nuns living nearby were equally taken aback. 

“We thought it was empty, because the garden wasn’t looked after and there was no sign of life inside,” Sister Teresa said.

Other locals echoed the disbelief. Elena Rodriguez, who regularly walks in the area, told the news outlet: “I had no idea someone could be living there. I never heard a sound. It’s a very big surprise.”

The father had reportedly registered his residency in February 2022, months after moving in. 

He and his wife, who are now being held in provisional custody without bail, face charges of illegal detention, child neglect, and habitual psychological abuse. 

The judge has also stripped them of parental rights.

According to investigators, the children spoke mostly English and had never been enrolled in school. 

Social workers described how the twins were still sleeping in baby cots with no legs, while the eldest child had a makeshift bed on the floor. 

All three are now in the care of the regional government of Asturias at a specialist facility where their psychological and emotional wellbeing is being assessed.

Regional welfare minister Marta del Arco said: “It’s too early to assess the full extent of the trauma,” but assured that the children are now receiving appropriate care.

The modest rural enclave of Toleo has now become the centre of national attention. 

Access to the villa has been restricted, with journalists stationed nearby. 

A handwritten sign strung with cord warns that the property is private and entry is forbidden.

As the investigation continues, the sense of sorrow and frustration that lingers in the community will only grow bigger. 

POLICE have rescued three young children from a ‘house of horrors’ in rural Oviedo, where they had allegedly been confined for four years by their expatriate parents in conditions of extreme neglect.

The children – eight-year-old twins and a ten-year-old – were found on Monday during a police operation that coincided with the nationwide blackout. 

Officers entered the rented property between 11.15am and 2.45pm. 

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Inside, they discovered the children living among faeces, garbage and a sick cat, with no fresh air entering the house.

The children had reportedly been kept indoors since the latter part of the pandemic in 2021.

None had been enrolled in school, and all were wearing nappies under their pyjamas when discovered, along with three face masks, one on top of the other.

“When we brought them outside, they all began to breathe deeply, as if they had never been outdoors before,” an officer involved in the rescue said. 

“One of them touched the grass with his hands, amazed.”

The children, who spoke mainly English, were described as ‘seriously neglected’ by social services. 

Two baby cots without legs served as beds for the twins, while the eldest slept on a makeshift bed also on the floor. 

All the windows had been sealed shut to prevent visibility from the outside.

The parents, a 53-year-old German man and a 48-year-old woman with German and American citizenship, face charges of illegal detention, child neglect, and habitual psychological abuse. 

A judge has ordered their immediate imprisonment without bail, and stripped them of parental rights.

Police say the pair had lived in the rented house since October 2021, but the father only registered his residency in February 2022.

During several days of surveillance, officers observed no activity except for occasional food deliveries, which appeared excessive for a single occupant. 

Authorities believe the couple were working remotely.

The case came to light after a neighbour contacted Oviedo’s child and family welfare office on April 14, expressing concern that children were living in the house despite never being seen outside. 

“We have returned three children to life. I never imagined something like this could happen in our country,” said Chief Commissioner Francisco Javier Lozano at a press conference on Wednesday.

The children are now under the protection of the regional government of Asturias and being housed in a care facility while experts assess their physical, psychological and emotional state. 

Regional welfare minister, Marta del Arco, said: “It’s too early to assess the full extent of the trauma,” while also assuring that the children are now receiving the appropriate care.