A French mother who abandoned her two young sons blindfolded in a wooded area in Portugal has been sent to the country's most notorious women's prison to await trial. Marine Rousseau, 41, and her partner Marc Ballabriga, 55, are accused of leaving the boys, aged five and four, on a rural road between Alcacer do Sal and Comporta on May 19. The children were discovered crying, carrying backpacks with food and water but no identification documents.
Details of the Abandonment
The boys told authorities that their parents said they were playing a game to 'drive away the devil.' The couple blindfolded the children and took them to the woods, instructing them to remove the blindfolds only after finding a knife buried in the ground. After digging for several minutes, the older boy removed his blindfold and realized they were alone. They wandered for hours in temperatures reaching up to 30°C before being found by a local couple, Eugenia and Artur Quintas.
Artur Quintas recalled: 'They were crying, they were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father.' He noted that the backpacks were packed in a way that suggested deliberate abandonment. The boys were taken to Setúbal Hospital, where they received a clean bill of health, and toxicology reports showed they had not been drugged.
Prison and Legal Proceedings
Rousseau has been held in Tires Prison, a major women's correctional facility in São Domingos de Rana, Cascais, known for its harsh conditions. Both Rousseau and Ballabriga face charges of child endangerment and abandonment, with Ballabriga additionally charged with aggravated assault. They were arrested at a café terrace in Fatima after a suspicious woman alerted police. The couple had spent over five hours there, eating cakes and drinking coffee, before being taken into custody.
During their court appearance on May 23, Ballabriga shouted 'I love you' in French, while Rousseau sang. Local media reported the couple shouting at each other from separate cells. Portuguese authorities have placed the boys in foster care, and French authorities are arranging their return to France.
Father's Response
The boys' biological father, who had limited supervised visitation since his divorce two years ago, addressed the media for the first time. He refused to 'defend or minimise the acts committed' but appealed for restraint, saying: 'My children will need to rebuild their lives, just like me. They won't need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy.' He described days of 'pain' while awaiting authorisation to see the boys and expressed hope to retrieve them soon.
Background of the Couple
Rousseau, born in 1984, graduated in psychomotor therapy and later studied sexology. She worked as a sexologist, offering consultations across Europe and via videoconference, specializing in trauma care and sexual fulfilment. Her social media promotes her business but contains no images of her children. Ballabriga, a former French gendarmerie officer who left the force in 2010, is believed to suffer from a psychiatric disorder and is known to French police.
Strange social media posts from Ballabriga have emerged, in which he decries the 'end of the world' and spouts conspiracy theories. The couple had no known connection to Portugal, having driven over 310 miles from Miranda do Corvo to Alcacer do Sal after arriving in the country.
Psychological Impact on Children
Psychologist Melanie Tavares warned that the abandonment could cause long-term psychological harm, including sleep difficulties, eating disorders, irritability, and isolation. She stated: 'This is a trauma that will remain, just like when we get a tattoo. It stays for life.' The fact that the parents framed the abandonment as a game may lead to significant distrust in parental figures.
The boys' maternal grandmother reported their disappearance, claiming they had been abducted by their mother. The biological father also filed a child abduction report. Colmar prosecutor Jean Richert said the father, like everyone else, does not understand the motive behind the act.
