The mother who abandoned her children blindfolded in the Portuguese woods has been sent to the country's toughest women's prison for pretrial detention.It comes as strange videos showing her partner decry the 'end of the world' and spout conspiracy theories have emerged.Two brothers, aged five and four, were discovered crying on a rural road between the Portuguese towns of Alcacer do Sal and Comporta on May 19, carrying backpacks with food and water but no identity documents. Their French mother, 41-year-old Marine Rousseau, and stepfather Marc Ballabriga, 55, were arrested for allegedly abandoning the schoolboys, hundreds of miles from their home in Colmar, eastern France.The boys explained to authorities that their parents told them they were going to play a game to 'drive away the devil'. Rousseau and Ballabriga had blindfolded them and took them to the wooded area, before telling them they could only remove their eye covers once they had found a knife the couple had buried in the ground.The boys were digging around in the dirt for several minutes before the older boy removed their blindfolds and realised they were alone. Since the weekend, Rousseau has been held in the notorious Tires Prison, a major women’s correctional facility located in São Domingos de Rana, within the municipality of Cascais. Marine Rousseau, accused of abandoning her two children in the Portuguese woods, been sent to the country's toughest women's prison for pretrial detention Strange social media posts show her partner Marc Ballabriga decry the 'end of the world' and spout conspiracy theories Two young brothers, aged five and four, were abandoned by their mother and her partner in a wooded area in PortugalThe prison is over 12 miles west of Lisbon, known for housing women accused of serious crimes.Cases that generate international headlines are frequently dealt with there.Many members of the public associate Tires with murder trials, child abuse, or dramatic legal dramas, and it often features in true-crime documentaries. Some of the bizarre videos from Ballabriga's social media were uploaded in the two weeks he was on the run with Rousseau, after the couple allegedly abandoned the brothers.The clips show the 55-year-old wandering around fields, filming insects and animals, and staring up at the sky, making impassioned appeals to the camera. The boys' biological father, who only had limited and supervised visitation rights since his divorce two years ago, addressed the media for the first time yesterday since they were reported missing.While he won't 'defend or minimise the acts committed' and considers the situation 'serious and deeply shocking,' he said he refuses to fuel hate directed at the children's mother.'I refuse to add hateful words, insults, or derogatory terms intended to dehumanise a person, even if they are found guilty,' he told the French channel Ici Alsace TV.He appealed for media restraint and respect for the children's privacy. 'My children will need to rebuild their lives, just like me. They won't need to be constantly reminded of this tragedy,' he said.The father spoke of enduring days of 'pain' while awaiting authorisation to see the boys, adding: 'It's only a matter of days until I get my children back.'He said he has thought about them 'every second' since being alerted by the French police of their disappearance.He is waiting for the 'green light' to travel to Portugal in order to retrieve them. 'Day and night, I have my phone by my side,' he said.Authorities said the boys' mother Rousseau and her partner Ballabriga appeared to have no known connection to Portugal. They are both accused of child endangerment and abandonment, while the man faces an additional charge of aggravated assault. After arriving in Portugal with the two boys, the family travelled more than 310 miles, first going to the Miranda do Corvo region before heading further south to Alcacer do Sal.On May 19, the young boys were discovered by a local couple, Eugenia and Artur Quintas, some 60 miles south of Lisbon.Artur told local media: 'They were crying, they were terrified. They were crying and calling for their father.'He added that they were both covered in dirt and bruises, and one had hurt his knee.When the boys removed their blindfolds, they believed that they were still playing a game with their parents, and wandered the area for several hours through a part of Portugal that can reach up to 30C during the day at this time of year. The Quintases took the young children to their home and called the police, who quickly arrived and transferred them to Setúbal Hospital for a full health assessment. There, they were given a clean bill of health. A toxicology report revealed the boys had not been drugged by the parents. 'The oldest one told me that he and his brother had gotten lost in the forest and that their father and mother had left without taking them,' Artur said.He added: 'I realised right away that they had been abandoned by the backpacks. When I saw the way the backpacks were packed, I knew they had been abandoned.' Some of the bizarre videos from Ballabriga's social media were uploaded in the two weeks he was on the run with Rousseau, after the couple allegedly abandoned the boys Frenchwoman Marine Rousseau (L) leaves the Setubal courthouse, suspected of abandoning two children, in Setubal, Portugal, on May 23, 2026 The boys were discovered in tears and carrying backpacks, with food and water but no identity documents