Major Update After Boys Aged 5 And 3 Found Blindfolded And Abandoned In Woods 1,300 Miles From Home

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There’s been a major update after two children were found blindfolded in the woods by their parents.

Two young brothers were discovered wandering alone through woodland in Portugal after allegedly being abandoned by their mother and stepfather more than 1,300 miles from home in a case that has horrified Europe.

The boys, aged just five and three, were reportedly found terrified, bruised, and crying after being left blindfolded in a remote forest area near Alcácer do Sal, south of Lisbon.

Authorities say the children had been taken from France and brought across multiple countries before eventually being abandoned in woodland under the guise of a ‘game.’

The disturbing case quickly sparked an international investigation involving both Portuguese and French authorities, with the children’s mother and stepfather later arrested after police tracked down their vehicle.

As details of the alleged ordeal emerged, rescuers and witnesses described scenes that many said were deeply unsettling.

The boys were found wandering alone

The brothers were discovered at around 7 p.m. local time on May 19 by a Portuguese couple, Artur and Eugénia Quintas, who spotted the children walking alone down a rural road between the coastal towns of Alcácer do Sal and Comporta, per Metro.

The area is sparsely populated and surrounded by woodland, with temperatures reportedly reaching around 86°F to 90°F during the day.

The children reportedly had dirt and bruises covering their bodies, and one of the boys had injured his knee.

They were also carrying backpacks containing fruit, water, cookies, spare clothes, and other belongings, but they had no identification documents with them.

Artur Quintas later explained that he immediately sensed something was badly wrong.

“When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned,” he told local media, per People.

The couple took the frightened boys home before contacting police, who later transported the children to hospital where doctors confirmed they were physically stable.

Authorities then placed the brothers into protective care while investigators worked to identify them and locate their family.

A trip across Europe sparks international investigation

As police pieced together the timeline, investigators discovered the children had allegedly been taken from eastern France by their mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and her partner Marc Ballabriga.

French authorities reportedly believe the children had been missing for around two weeks before they were found in Portugal.

Their father, who is separated from Rousseau, had already reported the boys missing to police in France, while Rousseau’s own family had also contacted authorities after losing contact with her.

According to investigators, the family car was tracked traveling through southern France, into Spain, and then into Portugal through the Bragança border crossing on May 11.

The group later traveled to the Alcácer do Sal region, where they reportedly stayed at a hotel roughly 12 miles from where the children were eventually found.

French prosecutor Jean Richert said authorities had struggled to contact Rousseau despite tracing the family’s movements across multiple countries.

“We managed to narrow down her whereabouts, successively in the south of France, in Spain and in Portugal, but without being able to contact her,” he said.

The couple were later arrested after police reportedly spotted their French-plated Opel parked outside a café in Portugal.

Witnesses described the pair behaving unusually calm even as officers approached and handcuffed them.

“They acted as if nothing had happened,” café owner Jorge Lopes said.

“They stayed sitting and didn’t seem nervous.”

“When I saw them so at ease in front of the authorities, I was astonished,” he added.

“It was as if they didn’t have blood running through their veins.”

Witnesses reveal disturbing behavior before the boys vanished

Several people later came forward describing interactions with the couple in the hours before the children were allegedly abandoned, the New York Post reports.

Workers at local cafés and restaurants recalled the adults appearing relaxed while the boys played nearby.

Teresa Pinto, an employee at a nearby restaurant, said the children repeatedly chased a football toward the road while neither adult moved from their seats.

“The little ones were playing football and several times the ball went towards the street but neither adult got out of their chairs to stop it,” she said.

Another café customer claimed the stepfather bizarrely remarked: “Look at this. I’m here in the sun and the sun is looking at me.”

Investigators also learned the boys had allegedly been told they were participating in a game intended to ‘drive away evil.’

According to reports from Portuguese media, the children were blindfolded and instructed not to remove the coverings until they found a knife hidden in the ground that they could supposedly use to cut themselves free.

Authorities believe the children spent several minutes digging through the dirt before eventually removing the blindfolds themselves and realizing the adults had disappeared.

At first, the brothers reportedly believed they were still playing a game and wandered around the woodland for hours trying to find their parents again.

The chilling words the boys said after being rescued

As more details of the case emerged, rescuers revealed the heartbreaking things the children said when they were finally found alone beside the road.

Artur Quintas said the brothers were visibly terrified and inconsolable when he and his wife approached them.

“They were terrified,” he said. “They were crying and calling for their father.”

The couple later revealed the boys explained exactly what had happened after they were taken into the woods.

According to Quintas, the children told rescuers their mother had blindfolded them and abandoned them during what they thought was a game.

But it was the boys’ first chilling words after being rescued that have haunted many people following the case.

The older brother reportedly told Artur: “My father and mother left without taking us.”

Major update in the case

Since the boys were found wandering alone in Portugal, police have confirmed that their mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and stepfather, Marc Ballabriga, 55, were arrested in the town of Fátima, roughly 100 miles away from where the children were discovered.

Authorities allege the couple abandoned the boys after blindfolding them during what they described as a fake ‘treasure hunt’ or game to ‘drive away the devil,’ as per Euronews, Metro, and The Sun reports.

Portuguese courts have since ordered both adults to remain in pre-trial detention while investigations continue into allegations of child abandonment, endangerment, and abuse.

Reports also claim the pair were overheard allegedly discussing plans to ‘pretend they were crazy’ following their arrests.

Meanwhile, the boys’ biological father has now spoken publicly for the first time, revealing he is desperately waiting to be reunited with his children after reporting them missing in France days before they were found.

“It’s only a matter of days before I get my children back,” he said, per Euronews. “I think about them every second.” He also reportedly told investigators he could not understand how the situation had escalated so dramatically.

The children are currently being cared for by authorities and are expected to return to France in the coming days while both French and Portuguese officials continue their joint investigation into the case.

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