A nine-year-old boy in Nersac, France, lived alone for two years after his mother abandoned him to live with her boyfriend just three miles away. The mother, 39, was sentenced to six months in prison for neglect, while the boy’s father faced no charges. From 2020 to 2022, the boy endured periods without hot water or electricity, surviving by using blankets for warmth and stealing tomatoes from a nearby balcony. Neighbors grew concerned and eventually reported the situation to police, leading to the boy’s placement in care.

Despite attending school, the boy’s solitary life remained hidden due to his good grades, cleanliness, and completed homework, which created a protective facade. His mother dismissed neighbors’ concerns, claiming she was caring for him. Mobile data later proved her limited presence at the apartment.

Neighbors expressed guilt for not noticing sooner, attributing the neglect’s persistence to modern life’s anonymity. The University of Nottingham found that lack of a clear legal definition for child abandonment in the EU complicates research and prevention efforts. Some EU countries have introduced measures, including social support services, mother-baby units, family planning, and training for hospital staff, to address child abandonment.