Custody Ordered for French Couple After Boys Found Abandoned in Portugal
A French mother and her partner will remain in custody following allegations that they abandoned her two young sons on a roadside in southern Portugal, according to a court ruling.
The boys, aged four and five, were discovered on Tuesday evening crying beside a road near Alcacer do Sal, approximately 100km (60 miles) south of Lisbon. Authorities identified the woman and her partner as Marine R and Marc B, who were arrested in Fatima on Thursday.
During their court appearance on Saturday, the man shouted
"I love you"in French, while the boys' mother sang.
A judge ordered the couple to be held in pre-trial detention, as reported by French and Portuguese media. Both face charges of child endangerment and abandonment, with the man additionally charged with aggravated assault.
Under Portuguese law, suspects must be presented before a judge within 48 hours of arrest to determine whether they remain in custody or are released pending trial.
The couple has already undergone several hours of questioning by investigators.
Meanwhile, the children are currently placed with a French foster family in Lisbon and are expected to be returned to France.
Background and Investigation Details
Authorities informed the Setubal courthouse that the two boys had been living with their 41-year-old mother in Colmar, an eastern French city. Their father held limited and supervised visitation rights, local media reported.
On 11 May, the father reported the children missing, prompting a search for the mother and sons and the issuance of a European arrest warrant.
The mother of the motorist who found the children told Portuguese media that one of the boys said they had been blindfolded and told to search for a hidden toy, but when they removed their blindfolds, their mother was gone.
Authorities noted that the couple appeared to have no known connections to Portugal.
Profiles and Courtroom Behavior
The backgrounds of the couple have attracted attention in both France and Portugal. The woman's LinkedIn profile describes her as a sexologist specializing in
"body-oriented practices, psychotrauma and developmental dynamics".
The woman's partner, aged 55, is a former French gendarmerie officer who left the force in 2010.
Local newspaper Correio da Manhã reported that the couple could be heard
"shouting at each other"from their separate cells.
