The devastated father of two children reportedly abandoned in the Portuguese forests by their mother and stepfather has spoken out for the first time.
A baker going to work near Alcácer do Sal found two young boys “distressed” and “crying” on the side of the road in a wooded area.
Police say Barthélemy and Zachary, aged five and three respectively, were abandoned by their mother Marine Rousseau, 41, and stepfather Mark Ballabriga, 55, under the cruel guise of a treasure hunt.
This couple allegedly blindfolded two boys First driving Close.
Breaking his silence for the first time, the father of the two boys said he believed it would only be a matter of days before he would see his children again.
“It’s only a matter of days before I can get my children back,” he said.
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“Ever since the Colmar police station contacted me to tell me they were missing, I think about them every moment.”
The father – who has requested to remain anonymous – speaking to French TV channel ICI Alsace TV, said he had kept his phone next He stayed up at all hours of the day waiting for the Portuguese authorities to confirm that he could take his children back.
She said, “My children will have to rebuild their lives, just as I have rebuilt mine, and they do not need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy.”
“I’m not trying to defend or minimize what happened – it’s extremely shocking.”
Both boys – who were found on Tuesday – are currently in temporary foster care until arrangements can be made for their return to France.
French authorities have also lodged a request for the couple’s return.
After divorcing Russo two years ago, the father reportedly has limited supervised visitation rights with the boys.
He told French media that he would speak again only when he was “reunited” with his children.
Police captured Russo and Ballabriga on Thursday about 100 miles north of where they allegedly abandoned the young children.
A French-speaking pensioner was chatting to the couple and after discovering the boys he became suspicious that the two were being sought by the police.
The family went on a road trip to Portugal after living together in Colmar in eastern France.
Russo has described herself on social media as a “sexologist” who helps traumatized individuals regain peace and sexual satisfaction.
He and his new companion were taken hostage at O Vasco Café in Fatima.
On Saturday, Russo was heard singing to himself in a Setubal court ahead of his case proceedings.
The hearing continued till midnight.
She and Ballabriga are facing charges of child abandonment and endangerment.
Ballabriga also faces additional charges of aggravated assault.
The pair were kept in pre-trial detention until their next court appearance.
Police say the couple told the children they were playing a game called “Drive the Devil Away.”
They told the boys to remove their blindfolds only if they found the knives which the couple claimed were buried in the soil.
While the children complied, the couple allegedly tried to make up for it and left them to their fate by giving them nothing except a change of clothes, two pieces of fruit and two bottles of water.
When Alexandre Quintas discovered the children they did not have any form of identification.
The local baker informed the police about this at around 7 pm on Tuesday evening.
“I immediately realized that they were left out because of the backpacks, the way they were made,” he said.
The boys were reported missing by their father on May 11 after they disappeared from their home in Colmar.
Russo is understood to have left another 16-year-old at home before embarking on the 1,365-mile journey with two young boys and her boyfriend, driving across Spain.
The search for the family intensified before they entered Portugal through the city of Miranda do Douro in the northeastern district of Bragança.
The couple face possible extradition to France before facing trial in Portugal due to a European arrest warrant issued by their home country.
