Two young brothers, aged 5 and 3, were discovered wandering alone along a remote country path in Portugal, hundreds of miles from their home in France. The children, identified as Barthélémy and Zacharie, were found crying for their father near the popular seaside resort towns of Alcácer do Sal and Comporta.
Discovery by a Passing Motorist
Artur Quintas was driving along the isolated track with his wife just before sunset on Tuesday when he spotted the boys' blonde hair. He told Portuguese outlet Correio da Manhã: 'They were crying, they were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father. The oldest one told me that he and his brother had gotten lost in the forest and that their father and mother had left without taking them.'
The children's hands were covered in dirt, and one of them had a knee injury. Each child carried a backpack containing only a change of clothes, an apple, an orange, and two bottles of water. Quintas added: 'I saw that they were each carrying a backpack. I immediately realised they had been abandoned.'
The Alleged Abandonment
The French brothers told authorities that their mother, 41-year-old Marine, and her partner Marc had driven them to a remote woodland area and told them they were going to play a game to 'drive away the devil.' The adults blindfolded the boys and instructed them to remove the coverings only after finding a knife buried in the soil. The elder brother, Barthélémy, dug in the dirt attempting to follow their instructions before eventually removing both blindfolds, only to realise they had been left alone.
Still believing it was part of the game, the children wandered the desolate area, where temperatures can reach 30°C in spring, before being found by the motorist.
Background and Investigation
The siblings were believed to be living in Colmar, eastern France, before their mother vanished with them around two weeks ago, driving them to Portugal. The children's maternal grandmother reported their disappearance to police, stating they had been abducted by their mother. Additionally, their biological father, who is separated from Marine, had filed a child abduction report with French authorities.
Colmar prosecutor Jean Richert told Le Parisien: 'He's like everyone else, he doesn't understand.' French police have indicated they are already aware of the stepfather, Marc, who is believed to suffer from a psychiatric disorder.
Portuguese police have not formally confirmed that the children were kidnapped and abandoned. A spokesperson stated: 'All possibilities are being considered.'
