Heartbreak as parents abandon children ‘blindfolded in woods’ on fake treasure hunt

A man has told of his horror after finding two 'blindfolded' children who were allegedly abandoned by their parents in a forest in Portugal.

Alexandre Quintas said he stumbled across the little lads - aged three and five - crying and shouting on an isolated road linking Alcacer do Sal and the coastal resort of Comporta on Tuesday (19 May).

The French youngsters are said to have been sporting backpacks that were filled with clothes, a few snacks and a bottle of water.

According to reports, their 41-year-old mother and stepfather, 55, led them into some woodland in southern Portugal under the guise of participating in a treasure hunt.

The pair are said to have told the children that they were going to play a game before allegedly blindfolding them and saying they had to find a toy.

Quintas said that the eldest child informed him that he and his little brother had subsequently 'got lost in the forest'. After removing their eye coverings, they then realised their mother and stepfather weren't there.

The French brothers were found with backpacks filled with some clothes, snacks and a bottle of water (Newsflash)

The local then found the kids - who did not have any identification documents with them - on an isolated road at around 7.30pm that evening, before he promptly alerted police.

"The oldest told me that he and his brother had got lost in the forest and that their father and mother had left without taking them," Quintas told local media.

"I realised straight away that they had been abandoned because of the backpacks, the way they had been made up," he claimed. "They had a change of clothes, a packet of biscuits, two pieces of fruit and a bottle of water."

Officers from Portugal’s National Republican Guard (GNR) then arrived to collect the brothers, who had been tended to by Quintas and his relatives in the meantime.

Quintas said he took them to a bakery owned by his family and 'gave them something to eat and some toys to keep them occupied' until authorities arrived.

His mother Eugenia also stated that the boys told her they had 'arrived by car and got out in a bushy place', before allegedly being abandoned, as per Euro News.

Mother and stepfather arrested

They were able to converse with the children with the help of a local doctor who spoke French, Eugenia added.

The young lads were later taken to the Setubal Hospital, near Lisbon, on the instructions of the Public Prosecutor’s Office to be checked over.

Child protection officers from the Portugal’s Commission for the Protection of Children and Young People (CPCJ) also waded in to help try and establish how the French children had ended up around 1,200 miles away from their home.

The boys biological father had reported them missing from Colmar in eastern France on 11 May, the BBC reported, days before the incident reminiscent of the fairytale Hansel and Gretel occurred.

The GNR later revealed that both their mother and stepfather have since been arrested. The pair have not yet been formally identified.

In a statement the force said: "The Republican National Guard located and detained today, May 21, in Fatima, a 55-year-old man and a 41-year-old woman suspected of committing the crimes of domestic violence and exposure and abandonment."

The boys biological father had reportedly reported them missing a week prior (Newsflash)

It continued: "Following the initial alert received regarding the presence of two children alone near a public road, GNR officers immediately went to the scene, where they located the minors, ensuring their protection and safety.

"Given the situation of evident vulnerability, the children were taken to the home of a local resident, where they remained and received initial care in the presence of the officers until they were transferred to a hospital unit.

"As part of the investigative efforts carried out immediately, in a coordinated manner and based on information sharing among the various branches of the GNR’s entire police structure.

"There was particular emphasis on the Criminal Investigation unit, officers from the Fatima Territorial Post located and detained the suspects in that city, as a result of the investigative work and police pro-activity.

"The investigation is being conducted by the Specific Victims Investigation and Support Unit (NIAVE) of Santiago do Cacem. A report outlining the facts has been sent to the Judicial Court of Grandola."

French prosecutor Jean Richert told AFP that the father of the two boys, who is separated from the mother, 'doesn't understand' what has gone on.

Police in both Portugal and France are said to be investigating the incident.