French brothers abandoned in Portugal after mother and partner flee

Two French brothers, aged three and five, were discovered abandoned on a road between Alcacer do Sal and Comporta, Portugal, on May 21. A passing driver found the children, who were taken to a hospital in Setubal and later moved to a child care facility before being handed over to the French embassy. Reports indicate the children were told by their mother and her 55-year-old partner to wait while blindfolded for a hidden toy. The suspects, a 42-year-old mother and her partner, were arrested on May 23 in Fatima while driving a car with French license plates. The mother had been reported missing from Colmar, France, on May 11, after which her ex-partner filed a kidnapping complaint. Authorities tracked the couple's vehicle from southern France through Spain and into Portugal. The mother's partner is reportedly known to authorities for psychiatric issues, and the case is currently under investigation by the family court in Santiago do Cacem.