In a horrifying case in France, a 45-year-old woman was reportedly held captive in a garage for five years by a man and a woman, who stole her money and social welfare benefits while forcing her to bathe in bleach and use a plastic bag as a toilet. She finally managed to escape when the man was distracted watching TV and ran to a neighbor’s house to report the ordeal, exposing the case.
According to international media reports, the woman was renting an apartment in 2019 with a roommate who worked as a caregiver. The roommate introduced an older man she met at the hospital into the apartment, and soon after, the couple confined the woman in a garage in Saint-Molf, near Guérande in northern France. They stole her money, emptied her bank account, and exploited her social welfare benefits.
During her captivity, the victim was forced to sleep on a folding chair, relieve herself in a plastic bag, and eat porridge mixed with dish detergent. She was also made to wash her body with bleach. Occasionally, she was allowed outside, but only for several days at a time in harsh weather. Her bank accounts have shown no activity since 2022, and she had no contact with the outside world.
On October 14, 2025, the woman seized an opportunity while the man was watching TV to escape and ran to a neighbor’s home, revealing she had been imprisoned for five years. Police arrived to find her nearly naked, suffering from hypothermia, and having lost roughly 50 kilograms. Investigators found multiple pieces of evidence corroborating her account, including a garage door blocked with concrete from the outside, likely intended to prevent her escape.
The suspects admitted to providing “harsh living conditions” but attempted to downplay their responsibility. Prosecutors have charged them with kidnapping, fraud, and torture, crimes that carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The man was placed under judicial supervision, while the female accomplice remains in custody awaiting trial.
