French Parents Face Charges After Abandoning Sons in Portuguese Forest
Two young French brothers, aged 5 and 3, were reportedly blindfolded and abandoned in a forest in southern Portugal by their mother, Marine Rousseau, and stepfather, Marc Ballabriga. The children were left in a dense rural area and instructed to dig for a 'buried knife' before they could remove their blindfolds. After realizing they were alone, the older brother removed his blindfold and helped his younger sibling. They wandered through the forest for hours before being found by a passing couple. The boys were taken to a hospital and found to be physically unharmed. Portuguese authorities have placed them in temporary foster care while arrangements are made for their return to France. The parents have been apprehended and face serious charges in both Portugal and France, including child endangerment and international parental kidnapping. 
