Two young boys, both under five years old, were discovered crying and alone by the side of a road in southern Portugal, leading to the arrest of a man and a woman believed to be their mother and stepfather.
Discovery and Arrest
The children were found by a driver near the town of Alcacer do Sal on Tuesday. They were carrying backpacks containing food and water but had no identification documents. The driver provided them with food before alerting the authorities.
Local police later arrested a 41-year-old woman and a 55-year-old man after spotting their car outside a café in Fatima, approximately 180 kilometers (112 miles) north of where the boys were found. The couple, reportedly the mother and stepfather of the children, are being held by Portugal's National Republican Guard.
Investigation and Charges
The arrested individuals have not been formally identified by authorities. They are being investigated on suspicion of domestic violence, exposure to danger, and abandonment. The children were reported missing by their father from their home in Colmar, eastern France, on May 11, prompting a pan-European search effort by French authorities.
Portuguese and French police are collaborating to determine how the boys ended up abandoned by the roadside, though no conclusions have been reached yet.
