Argentine man arrested for locking up family for years
The gist
Argentine biochemist Miguel Edgardo Battista was arrested in Esquel after neighbors reported his family confined at home.
The children are now in foster care in the Patagonian town.
How it unfolded
- Oct 22, 2026Miguel Edgardo Battista is arrested in Esquel after neighbors report that only he occasionally left the house, the children did not attend school, windows were covered, and screams were heard at night.
- Oct 28, 2026EL PAÍS reports the arrest; a court orders 10 days of pretrial detention for Battista on accusations of unlawful deprivation of liberty and abandonment of a person.
- date unknownBattista's wife is admitted to the mental health unit of the regional hospital in Esquel, and the three children and one of their pets are placed in the temporary custody of a foster family by court order.