Man Found Locked In Dad's Basement With 'Beard To His Knees' 20 Years Later

Can you imagine being locked in a windowless room for 20 years? I certainly can't.

A 36-year-old man from Sao Paulo, Brazil, experienced that exact nightmare after his father and stepmother allegedly locked him in a dark basement of their home for two decades.

Did you read that correctly? TWO. WHOLE. DECADES.

Armando de Andrade supposedly disappeared as a normal 16-year-old teenager and was found by accident on Monday by officers searching for members of a drug gang, MailOnline reported.

When officers discovered a frail, unhealthy version of Andrade, they immediately sent him to the hospital.

Celso Marchiori, the police chief investigating this case, described Andrade's reaction when they discovered his existence. He said,

He got up, very impaired and didn't speak a word. We took him outside and he still didn't say anything. We didn't know if he was scared or drugged.

Apparently, witnesses have claimed Andrade's hair grew all the way to his knees and that his nails and toenails were "enormous." The floor was covered in human feces.

Chief Marchiori reportedly spoke about the living conditions inside the basement where he was held captive, and said,

It's difficult to believe he was in that place for 20 years. It's a very insanitary place, he wouldn't have survived. There's no light at all.

When Andrade disappeared 20 years ago, his friends and neighbors grew curious of his whereabouts. But when they asked his family about where he had gone, they allegedly responded, "He's doing well."

One childhood friend of Andrade named Ederson Silva spoke about his experience while asking about Andrade. He allegedly said,

Whenever we asked about him they always said they same thing, no, he's living in the northeast, he's well, he's working, he's building his family there. That's all they said to us.

Andrade's father is now denying all allegations regarding the case. He reportedly claimed that his son left home as an 18-year-old and came back last week to "get clean from drug addiction," asking to be locked in the room.

Apparently, he stated,

He's a grown man. He never got in touch. Then last week I opened my door and he was there. He gave him food and let him stay in the basement room. He asked me to lock the door so he couldn't get out.

Something definitely doesn't seem right here.

Andrade's father and stepmother recently fled their home due to aggravated neighbors, which leads me to believe there's more to the story than what his father claims to be true.

Citations: MailOnline