Portuguese police on Thursday arrested the mother of two French boys who were found abandoned by a highway in the south of the country, alone and crying.
The boys, aged four and five, were rescued on Tuesday by a passing driver near the resort town of Comporta, where they had been left with bags containing food and water but no identity documents, according to Portuguese media.
A manhunt was launched for the boys’ mother, 41, and on Thursday Portuguese police said they arrested her in the central city of Fatima, along with a 55-year-old man, on suspicion of abuse, endangerment and neglect.
The boys were reported missing in their hometown of Colmar, in eastern France, by their father about 10 days ago.
After finding the children, driver Alexandre Quintas took them to a bakery run by his family before notifying the authorities.
“We asked them if they like ice cream,” Quintas told online channel Observador.
“And we gave them food and toys to keep them occupied.”
