The father of two young boys who were discovered crying and wandering alone in a wooded area in Portugal has declined to condemn his ex-wife for allegedly abandoning their children. The two sons, aged five and four, were found on a rural road between the towns of Alcacer do Sal and Comporta on May 19, carrying backpacks containing food and water but lacking any identification documents.
Arrest of the Mother and Stepfather
The boys' French mother, 41-year-old Marine Rousseau, and her partner, 55-year-old Marc Ballabriga, were arrested on suspicion of abandoning the children, who lived hundreds of miles away in Colmar, eastern France. The father, who has had only limited and supervised visitation rights since his divorce two years ago, spoke to the media for the first time since the incident.
Father's Statement
While he will not 'defend or minimise the acts committed' and acknowledges the situation as 'serious and deeply shocking,' he expressed his refusal to add to the hatred directed at the children's mother. 'I refuse to add hateful words, insults, or derogatory terms intended to dehumanise a person, even if they are found guilty,' he told the French channel Ici Alsace TV. He appealed for media restraint and respect for the children's privacy, stating, 'My children will need to rebuild their lives, just like me. They won't need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy.'
Father's Ordeal
The father described enduring days of 'pain' while awaiting permission to see the boys, adding, 'It's only a matter of days until I get my children back.' He said he has thought about them 'every second' since being alerted by French police of their disappearance. He is waiting for the 'green light' to travel to Portugal to retrieve them. 'Day and night, I have my phone by my side,' he said.
Details of the Abandonment
Authorities indicated that Marine and Marc appeared to have no known connection to Portugal. The couple appeared in court on May 23 in handcuffs and were placed in pre-trial detention. They are both accused of child endangerment and abandonment, while the man faces an additional charge of aggravated assault. After arriving in Portugal with the two boys, the family travelled more than 310 miles, first going to the Miranda do Corvo region before heading further south to Alcacer do Sal.
Discovery by Local Couple
On May 19, the young boys were discovered by a local couple, Eugenia and Artur Quintas, some 60 miles south of Lisbon. Artur told local media, 'They were crying, they were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father.' He added that they were both covered in dirt and bruises, and one had hurt his knee. The boys told authorities that their parents told them they were going to play a game to 'drive away the devil.' The couple had blindfolded them and took them to the wooded area, before telling them they could only remove their eye covers once they had found a knife the couple had buried in the ground.
Aftermath and Care
The boys were digging in the dirt for several minutes before the older boy removed their blindfolds. Realising they were alone, they wandered the area for several hours through a part of Portugal where daytime temperatures can reach up to 30C at this time of year. The Quintases took the children to their home and called the police, who quickly arrived and transferred them to Setúbal Hospital for a full health assessment. There, they were given a clean bill of health. A toxicology report revealed the boys had not been drugged by the parents. '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,' Artur said. He added, 'I realised right away that they had been abandoned by the backpacks. When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned.'
Foster Care and Return
The brothers were placed into foster care after information about the boys was requested from the French embassy in Portugal, which revealed they had no blood relatives in the country. French authorities are now set to process their return to their country of origin.
Background of the Couple
The couple's backgrounds have gained attention in both France and Portugal. Marine, born in 1984, graduated in psychomotor therapy from the Pierre and Marie Curie University of Paris in 2008. She worked in Troyes for 10 years before studying sexology at Paris Diderot University between 2019 and 2022. She left Troyes in 2025 to settle in Colmar. Following her separation from the boys' biological father, she obtained custody of her two children, a decision he reportedly challenged in court. As a sexologist, Marine specialises in 'body-based practices, developmental dynamics, and specific trauma care, offers consultations in France, Germany, Belgium, and Switzerland, as well as via videoconference,' according to her LinkedIn. She adds, 'I help women and men achieve sexual fulfilment. At your own pace, even if you're traumatised.' On her Facebook, she does not have any images or videos of her children but promotes her business heavily. She said she helps women with their sexuality following 'traumatic stress related to childbirth, rape, assault, humiliation, pain, hurtful words, discrediting of your erotic potential and your femininity.' Marine also organises masterclasses on 'co-construction of sexuality,' intended 'for parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, for every member in families, for anyone who would like to pass on something about sexuality, whether to children, adolescents or young people, while respecting their sensitivity and level of development.'
Stepfather's History
French police are already aware of the stepfather, who is believed to suffer from a psychiatric disorder. He is a former French gendarmerie officer who left the force in 2010.
Psychological Impact
Experts fear that the children may suffer long-term psychological harm as a result of being abandoned. Psychologist Melanie Tavares told CNN Portugal, 'It's the feeling of abandonment, of being lost, unprotected, of not having familiar resources to ultimately soothe the fear.' She said being left in the woods may affect their emotional security and cause sleep difficulties, eating disorders, irritability and isolation. Tavares said, 'This will obviously bring, in the coming days, some symptoms to which those caring for these children will have to be very attentive. We are talking about several situations, namely great difficulty in sleeping, falling asleep and maintaining sleep, changes in normal routines, including eating, irritability or even almost permanent isolation, as well as great difficulty, often, in accepting rules and the context in which they are, because none of this is familiar to these children.' She added that the fact that the parents pretended to be playing a 'game' could result in a significant distrust in parental figures. She said, 'These children will be in constant distress, a great deal of distress from abandonment, and distress from separation. This is a trauma that will remain, just like when we get a tattoo. It stays for life.'
Family Reports
Marine's mother, the boys' maternal grandmother, reported the children's disappearance to police, telling them they had been abducted by their mother. The boys' biological father also filed a child abduction report to police. Colmar prosecutor Jean Richert said on May 21 regarding the father, 'He's like everyone else, he doesn't understand.'
Arrest and Court Appearance
On May 21, Portuguese police announced that they had arrested a 55-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman 'linked to the incident involving two minor children found alone near a public road in the municipality of Alcácer do Sal.' They were arrested at a café terrace in Fatima on suspicion of abuse, endangering others, and abandonment. The pair were located when a woman who spoke to them called the police, after becoming suspicious they were the couple authorities were looking for following news that two boys had been abandoned. According to cafe owner Jorge Lopes, who spoke to Portuguese daily Correio da Manha, the couple who 'only spoke French' spent 'more than five hours' on the establishment's terrace, eating cakes and drinking coffees. As they were led into court on May 23, the man shouted 'I love you' in French and the boys' mother sang. Local newspaper Correio da Manhã reported the couple could be heard in their separate cells 'shouting at each other.'
Footage of the Family
Footage obtained by local media showed the boys innocently playing in their parents' car at a petrol station in Miranda do Douro, near the border with Spain, after they arrived in Portugal. Marc appears to be driving the grey car as he pulls into the petrol station. Both he and Marine are seen getting out of the vehicle before walking over to an attendant. In the back, one of the boys was seen clambering around the front seats, while the other leaned to the front of the car in the gap between the seats. TVI, a Portuguese broadcaster, reported that the footage was taken at 6.16pm on May 11, the same day the family arrived in Portugal via Bragança on the Spanish border.
