A missing Algerian teen has finally been found ALIVE after 26 years — but no one suspected him to be just feet away from his home the whole time…

The horrifying story comes from the town of El Guedid in northern Algeria, where back in 1998 then-17-year-old Omar Bin Omran went missing without a trace. His family was left devastated. The only logical explanation they could come up with at the time being that their son was a victim of the ongoing Civil War at the time. Except for his mother, that is. According to several local outlets, she always had a sneaking suspicion he was close by. Sadly, her motherly intuition would prove true…

For a while Omran’s dog would circle around the neighbor’s house. That is until it died from a suspicious poisoning incident in their yard, which is now believed to be done by the neighbor himself. Why? It was probably getting too close to digging up the truth.

In May of 2024, a social media post began circulating which accused the family’s neighbor, 61, of kidnapping the teen back in the 90s. This eventually led the Djelfa Attorney General’s Office to go into his home and make a harrowing discovery.

Nearly three decades after the kid first went missing, authorities finally searched the elderly man’s home and found a hatch in the floor under some hay. The neighbor remained calm until the hatch was found — then immediately tried to run away, causing investigators to take him into custody. When they opened the door, they found Omran, now 45 years old. He was sitting on the floor in what authorities described as a “sheep pen” under the ground. He was there 26 years, making this one of the longest solved abduction cases in history. Wow.

See a side by side of him back in the 90s and when he was found in 2024 (below):

Footage of his rescue was also shared by local news site El Khabar TV. You can watch it for yourself below, but be warned, it’s chilling.

Heartbreakingly after this incredible discovery, it was learned that Omran’s mother passed away in 2013, with her last wish reportedly being to “never stop searching” for her son. Conflicting reports state the pen he was found in was only 300-650 FEET away from his family home! In any case, tragically close.

To make matters even more sad, the victim revealed he could see out of the caged area and he recognized a lot of the people that rescued him from observing them over the years. He was even aware of his mom’s death. Despite being able to see, he still wasn’t able to call for help — local outlets say it was like he was “under some kind of spell”.

So, so awful.

The captive was taken to the hospital to be evaluated physically and psychologically. What we know thus far is, he miraculously survived and his alleged captor is in custody awaiting trial.

Our hearts go out to Omar and his family. We can’t imagine what they’re going through right now, and we wish the best for them going forward. May he get the justice he deserves.