A teenage boy who has been missing for more than two and a half years was found alive in the closet of a suspect wanted for child pornography charges, authorities said.
Police found the 15-year-old boy on Friday while searching the Recklinghausen, Germany, home of a 44-year-old man accused of distributing child pornography, CNN reported.
“The officers discovered a boy in the closet. An investigation showed this was a 15-year old boy who has been missing for a long time,” the Recklinghausen police said in a statement.
Police say the boy had been missing for at least two and a half years.
The boy, who remains under police protection and remains unidentified for legal reasons, was not held in the apartment against his will, according to police.
A spokesperson for the police said the 44-year-old and his 77-year-old father were arrested at the scene, DW.com, a local German news site, reported.
A judge granted the public prosecutor’s office request on Saturday and issued an arrest warrant against the 44-year-old for a serious sexual offense. Authorities released the older man from custody.
During the apartment search, a K9 trained to sniff out electronic devices found several data storage units hidden in the home. Police say the equipment is under investigation.