Laurence Dollimore
A YOUNG girl who was allegedly raised in a forest in Switzerland with zero societal contact has been found in southern Spain.
The child, dubbed ‘Tarzan girl’ in Spanish press, was discovered in Coin, just a short drive inland from the Costa del Sol, alongside her father.
There had been an international warrant to remove the girl from her father’s custody, reports Diario de Sevilla.
The pair were found after Policia Local saw a ramshackle van parked in the La Trocha shopping centre and decided to approach.
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Inside the vehicle they discovered the father, originally from Switzerland, looking ‘disheveled’, while the daughter was dressed in filthy clothes and had her head down.
A quick search of their names in the police database revealed that the girl was missing and deemed to be in ‘serious danger’. They were also both branded highly likely to try and escape.
Junta de Andalucia spokesman Pedro Fernandez said this week that the incident took place on March 18 but is only being reported now.
He said: “Once they identified and saw the strange circumstances, they (Policia Local) informed the Guardia Civil, who immediately, by entering the man’s license plate and documentation, verified that there was an international warrant.”
The father was arrested and the minor was taken in by Social Services through the Junta de Andalucia.
She was admitted to a juvenile center ‘where she currently remains; fully guarded, therefore complying with the international request’, said Fernandez.
As for the father, of Swiss origin, he was ‘brought to justice’, said Fernandez, without providing further details.
He added: “This investigation has now remained strictly in the judicial sphere; any type of indictment or request from another court or tribunal in any other country will be carried out through judicial channels.”
