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Court orders detention for couple accused of abandoning children
A Portuguese judge has ruled that a French woman and her partner must remain in custody after allegedly leaving her two young sons on a roadside near Alcácer do Sal, roughly 100 km south of Lisbon.
Discovery and arrest
The boys, aged four and five, were found crying by the roadside on Tuesday evening. A motorist alerted authorities, who later detained the couple-identified as Marine R., 41, and Marc B., 55-in Fátima on Thursday.
As they entered court on Saturday, the man shouted "I love you" in French, while the woman sang. The judge subsequently ordered pre-trial detention on charges of aggravated assault, endangerment, and child abandonment.
Investigation and background
Under Portuguese law, suspects must appear before a judge within 48 hours of arrest to determine whether they remain in custody. The couple has already undergone several hours of questioning.
The boys, currently with a French foster family in Lisbon, are expected to return to France shortly. Their father, who holds limited and supervised visitation rights, reported them missing on 11 May, prompting a search and the issuance of a European arrest warrant.
Circumstances of the abandonment
The mother of the motorist who found the children told Portuguese media that one boy recounted being blindfolded and instructed to search for a hidden toy. When they removed their blindfolds, their mother had disappeared.
Authorities stated the couple had no known ties to Portugal. The boys had been living with their mother in Colmar, eastern France, prior to the incident.
Public and media reaction
The case has drawn attention in both France and Portugal. Marine R.'s LinkedIn profile describes her as a sexologist specializing in "body-oriented practices, psychotrauma, and developmental dynamics."
Marc B., her partner, is a former French gendarmerie officer who left the force in 2010. Local newspaper Correio da Manhã reported the couple could be heard shouting at each other from their separate cells.
