An elderly Swedish woman suspected of keeping her son locked up in their apartment for 28 years has been arrested, Insider reports.
An unidentified relative found the woman's son, now 41-years old, covered in urine, dirt and dust and smelled "rotten."
She entered the unlocked apartment after learning his mother had been admitted to a hospital, Swedish newspaper Expressen reported.
The relative said walking into the apartment was like a scene in a horror movie. She heard a noise from the kitchen and found him sitting on pillows. He had wounds and pus all over his body and with almost no teeth he was unable to speak coherently, she added.
Swedish authorities have now cordoned off the apartment building in suburban Stockholm and are seeking witnesses.
The Expressen and other news outlets disclosed that the 70-year-old woman had taken her son out of school when he was 12 years old and had him in captivity since then.
Reports suggested that the family was "dysfunctional" and the woman became overly protective after she lost her firstborn son when he was 3 years old.
Stockholm police representative Ola Osterling, who heads the preliminary investigation, said the mother was suspected of illegal deprivation of liberty and causing bodily harm.
According to the relative, the mother had made her son believe that people were out to get them and that she was the only one who could protect him. The mother denies the accusations. An investigation continues, local police said.
Osterling did not provide any details and said only that the man was in hospital. "His injuries are not life-threatening," the police representative said.
Neighbors contacted by Agence France-Presse were shocked that the man was locked up without anybody noticing.
One woman said she found it very strange that their window was always kept closed, and the same candlestick had been in the window for three decades.
Investigators said they would be interviewing the son, his mother and witnesses.
