The mother allegedly abandoned the blindfolded children in a remote European forest
NEWNow you can listen to Fox News articles!
A French mother who allegedly abandoned her two young children in a forest in Portugal while blindfolded was arrested with her ex-lawyer boyfriend while they were eating at a restaurant near Libson.
Marine Rousseau, 41, was taken into custody Thursday with Marc Ballabriga, 55, two days after the couple abandoned her helpless children, ages 3 and 5, in a remote forest and left, according to Portuguese and French media.
“They sat down and didn’t seem scared,” store owner Jorge Lopes told reporters. “They were searched with their hands and feet tied without stress at all. When I saw them so relaxed in front of the authorities I was surprised. It was as if they had no blood running in their veins.”
The boys were found crying and alone 125 miles away, MetroUK reported.
FLORIDA MOTHER IS SUSPECTED OF LEAVING DAUGHTER AT UNIVERSAL STUDIO TO DRINK AT A BAR.
Marine-Rousseau and her boyfriend, Marc Ballabriga, were arrested after she allegedly left her two sons blindfolded in the forest alone in Portugal. (Getty Images)
“Due to this seemingly serious situation, the children were taken to the home of a local resident, where they stayed and received first aid in front of the police until they were transferred to the hospital,” said a statement from Portuguese officials.
The two boys were in good health and were released from hospital on Thursday,” Portugal’s Ministry of Public Affairs said.
The couple is facing charges of child endangerment and abandonment. Ballabriga – a former French police officer who left the force in 2010 – faces another charge of assault.
UTAH DOOMSDAY MOTHER ARRESTED OUTSIDE AFTER ALLEGEDLY KIDNAPPING FOUR CHILDREN, Abandoning Them In European Orphanages.
Marine-Rousseau is suspected of having left her two sons alone in the Portuguese forest during the Portuguese lockdown, authorities said. (Getty Images)
They were ordered to be held pending trial.
Rousseau’s sons were rescued by Artur Quintas, a local baker who saw them “screaming and crying” when they stumbled on the highway on May 19, the New York Post reported.
They were only carrying backpacks full of clothes, water and snacks.
Quintas recalled that his older brother told him that his mother and her boyfriend allegedly took them to the forest and blindfolded them as part of a “game.” When they took off their blindfolds, the two elders had disappeared.
Marine Rousseau is charged with child endangerment. (Getty Images)
The two have been taken into foster care.
Their biological father – who reported them missing on May 11 – is working to bring them back to France.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS PROGRAM
“There are a few days left before I get my children back,” he told French broadcaster Ici Alsace TV on Monday. “I think about them every second since the police station in Colmar contacted me and told me they were missing. My children will have to rebuild their lives, as I rebuild mine.
“And they don’t need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy.”
