Two young brothers were abandoned blindfolded in Portugal by their parents after being told they were playing a game to “drive away the evil”, authorities have said. Barthelemy, five, and Zacharie, three, were found walking down a rural road between the coastal towns of Alcácer do Sal and Comporta on Tuesday evening, more than 1,300 miles from their home in Colmar, eastern France. Their mother, Marine Rousseau, 41, and her partner, Marc Ballabriga, 55, have since been arrested and are being held in Portugal.
Rescue by a local couple
The boys were discovered at around 7pm by local residents Eugenia and Artur Quintas. Artur, a baker from Monte Novo do Sul, told local media the children were “terrified” and “crying and calling for their father”. They had a change of clothes, two pieces of fruit and two bottles of water with them, but no identifying documents. Both were covered in dirt and bruises, and one had injured his knee.
Mr and Mrs Quintas took the boys to their family’s bakery before calling the police. Officers transported the children to hospital in Setúbal, where they were given a clean bill of health. “When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned,” Artur said. The older boy told him that he and his brother had been left behind by their parents.
The game and the blindfolds
It later emerged that Rousseau and Ballabriga had blindfolded the brothers and told them they were playing a game to “drive away the evil”. The children were instructed that they could only remove their eye covers once they had found a knife buried in the ground to cut themselves free. After several minutes of digging, Barthelemy took off his blindfold and his brother did the same, only to realise they were alone. At first they thought it was part of the game and wandered for hours in an isolated area surrounded by rice paddies and irrigation canals, where daytime temperatures can reach 30 °C.
The location where they were found, near Estrada Nacional 253, is described as remote. The couple had been staying at a hotel about 12 miles from the spot where the boys were abandoned.
Parents’ arrest and witness accounts
Rousseau and Ballabriga were arrested in Fátima, a town in central Portugal, after their French-plated green Opel was spotted outside a café called O Vasco. Jorge Lopes, the café’s owner, told Portuguese press the couple had spent more than five hours on his terrace. When five police officers arrived and approached them, Lopes said: “They acted as if nothing had happened. They stayed sitting and didn’t seem nervous. They were searched and handcuffed without any stress at all. When I saw them so at ease in front of the authorities, I was astonished. It was as if they didn’t have blood running through their veins.”
A customer named Antonio said the couple were “chatting and laughing” when he arrived. Another client reported that Ballabriga told him as he sat down: “Look at this. I’m here in the sun and the sun is looking at me.” Earlier in the day, Lopes’ wife had served the couple pastries and café lattes, and Rousseau had asked for her phone to be charged behind the bar.
An unnamed Portuguese woman aged around 80, who had spent most of her working life in France, was credited as a hero in the case. She suspected the couple were the ones who had abandoned the boys after asking them where they were from and receiving the reply: “We live in the world.” She alerted the police.
Teresa Pinto, a worker at the restaurant Rustikus in Alcácer do Sal, said Rousseau and Ballabriga had been there with the two brothers shortly before the alleged abandonment. “They arrived just after midday on Tuesday and were sat on the terrace for about two hours. The little ones were playing football and several times the ball went towards the street but neither adult got out of their chairs to stop it,” she told Portuguese media.
Background and motive
Rousseau, thought to be from Colmar, eastern France, is described as a sexologist who previously worked as a psychomotor therapist, focusing on helping individuals with trauma. Ballabriga is a former French police officer with a history of domestic violence convictions and alleged psychiatric issues, according to French media. The couple had been missing with the children since around May 11, when the boys’ father – who is separated from Rousseau – reported them abducted. French authorities issued a Europe-wide alert. During that time, the family had no idea where they were.
Rousseau’s mother and the children’s father both contacted police. French authorities only obtained a solid lead after Rousseau used a bank card in Miranda do Douro. Their car was tracked entering Portugal through the Bragança crossing on May 11, then travelling to Miranda do Corvo before heading to Alcácer do Sal. The journey covered more than 1,300 miles from Colmar. The couple also allegedly left behind a 16-year-old son in France.
Speaking about the boys’ father, French prosecutor Jean Richert said: “He’s like everyone else, he doesn’t understand.” The father has travelled to Portugal and will undergo custody assessments. A French court had previously granted him only visiting rights.
Legal proceedings
GNR police spokesman Carlos Canatário told Portuguese broadcaster SIC that Rousseau and Ballabriga are “not being hostile” but are “simply being silent and very reserved”. They are suspected of domestic violence, exposure to danger, and abandonment. The case is being investigated by the Specific Victims Investigation and Support Unit (NIAVE) of Santiago do Cacém. French authorities have issued European Arrest Warrants and are requesting the extradition of the couple. The Portuguese Minister of Justice, Rita Alarcão Júdice, said the return of the children to France will follow standard legal procedures. The boys were expected to be transferred to the French embassy, as they have no blood relatives in Portugal, and are due to be reunited with their family in the coming days.
