UPDATE
The mother of the two abandoned French brothers who were found on the side of the road in Portugal on Tuesday has been remanded in custody. Her partner was also interrogated and arrested. The couple appeared before the investigating judge on Friday and today. According to journalists from the AFP news agency, they behaved strangely. The mother sang a song upon arrival and her partner shouted twice ‘Je vous aime!‘.
Journalist at HLN
Source: AFP, FranceInfo
LOOK. Mother arrested after dumping her young sons in the woods
Mother Marine R. (41) and partner Marc B. (55) left the court in the Portuguese city of Setúbal on Friday evening after appearing before the investigating judge. They have now been placed in custody for aggravated assault and battery and for endangering and abandoning people.
The court is located about 50 kilometers south of Lisbon, not far from where the two brothers, aged 4 and 5 (it was previously reported that the youngest brother was 3 years old, ed.) were found crying on the side of the road on Tuesday evening. The boys both had a backpack with water, fruit and spare clothes. In the meantime, Marine R. and Marc B. were sitting on a terrace, about 200 kilometers away.
According to AFP journalists, the couple behaved strangely upon arrival at the court. Marine R. sang a song, while Marc B. sang “Je vous aime!” twice. (“I love you/you”, ed.) shouted. It is not clear to whom exactly that message was addressed.
LOOK. The abandoned French brothers were found on the side of the road in Portugal on Tuesday
Consultations in Belgium
In the meantime, more information is known about the couple. 41-year-old Marine R. had recently moved to the French city of Colmar, in Alsace. According to Eric Straumann, the city’s mayor, she worked in the hospital sector.
The French newspaper ‘Le Parisien’ reports that R. has a diploma in psychomotor therapy and is also specialized in sexology. According to the newspaper, she offers consultations via video connection in France, Germany, Switzerland and also in Belgium.
Violence against ex-partner
55-year-old Marc B. worked as a gendarme until 2010 and is said to live in the French department of Pyrénées-Orientales, in the far south of the country. The man is known to the police because of violence against an ex-partner. According to ‘Le Parisien’, a source close to the investigation described him as a “delusional patient” who shares numerous conspiracy theories on social media.
The couple does not appear to have any link with Portugal. The two brothers are temporarily cared for by a foster family. The children’s father had already reported their disappearance from Colmar on May 11.
