World3 min(s) read
Published 12:31 23 May 2026 GMT
Two young brothers were found wandering alone in woodland in Portugal after allegedly being abandoned blindfolded by their mother and stepfather more than 1,300 miles from home.
Per The Mirror, Barthelemy, five, and Zacharie, three, from France, were discovered on Tuesday evening near the coastal towns of Alcacer do Sal and Comporta after hours alone in scorching temperatures that can climb to 86°F
The boys had reportedly been told they were taking part in a game to “drive away the evil” before being left in the forest wearing blindfolds. They were carrying only a change of clothes, two pieces of fruit and two bottles of water when they were found.
Local resident Artur Quintas, who discovered the children alongside his wife Eugenia, said per the Daily Mail: “They were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father.”
The couple took the boys home before contacting police, who later transported them to hospital. Despite being covered in dirt and bruises, and one suffering a knee injury, doctors confirmed they were in good health.
Police later arrested the children’s mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and stepfather Marc Ballabriga after tracing them to a nearby café.
Investigators believe the couple blindfolded the boys and told them they could remove the coverings only after finding a buried knife to cut themselves free.
After digging for several minutes, Barthelemy reportedly removed the blindfolds himself and realised the adults had disappeared.
At first, the children believed it was still part of the game and wandered around the remote area for several hours.
Artur later told local media: “The oldest one told me that he and his brother had got lost in the forest and that their father and mother had left without taking them.
“When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned.”
The pair were eventually identified after an elderly Portuguese woman who had spent much of her life in France became suspicious and alerted police.
According to café owner Jorge Lopes, Rousseau and Ballabriga spent more than five hours sitting calmly on the terrace of his café before officers arrived.
He said: “They acted as if nothing had happened.
“They stayed sitting and didn’t seem nervous. They were searched and handcuffed without any stress at all.
“When I saw them so at ease in front of the authorities, I was astonished.
“It was as if they didn’t have blood running through their veins.”
Another customer claimed the couple were “chatting and laughing” while sitting in the sun shortly after the children had allegedly been abandoned.
A restaurant worker who saw the family earlier in the day said the boys had been playing football near the road while neither adult moved from their seats to intervene.
Investigators believe Rousseau disappeared with the children around two weeks ago, leaving relatives unaware of their whereabouts.
The children’s father and Rousseau’s mother later contacted police to report the boys missing.
French authorities reportedly tracked the family after Rousseau used a bank card, with the couple’s green Opel later seen entering Portugal through Spain on May 11.
The family travelled through Miranda do Corvo before arriving in Alcacer do Sal, where they checked into a hotel around 12 miles from the location where the boys were eventually discovered.
Police spokesperson Carlos Canatario said the suspects had been “silent and very reserved” since their arrests.
He told Portuguese broadcaster SIC: “They’re not being hostile.
“They’re simply being silent and very reserved.”
The boys are expected to be reunited with family members in the coming days while France prepares an extradition request for Rousseau and Ballabriga.
Speaking about the children’s father, prosecutor Jean Richert said: “He’s like everyone else, he doesn’t understand.”
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