Santiago, the young infant abducted by his own parents from a Parisian maternity ward, was found alive in Amsterdam on Friday night.
Belgian police became involved in the investigation as the couple were believed to be in Belgium following the kidnapping. Their vehicle was discovered in Charleroi and CCTV footage shows them staying at a B&B in Mons.
The pair were eventually caught in the Neutraal hotel in Amsterdam through telephone tracking at 19:00 on Saturday, Vincent Macq of the Mons-Tournai Public Prosecutor's Office told a press conference on Saturday morning. They have been detained under an international arrest warrant.
Belgian lead confirmed
"We were contacted by the Bobigny Prosecutor’s Office in France, and we offered our full cooperation on this case," said Macq. "On Tuesday, we quickly issued a Child Alert, which is rarely activated. Around 50 actionable tips were received."
Information from French authorities allowed Belgian police to trace the movements of Santiago and his parents to Mons.
In addition, police discovered a SIM card holder in the Audi A4 the couple used to leave France. "Roaming was activated in the Netherlands based on the phone number, confirming our lead."
Location systems pinpointed the parents’ whereabouts to a room in the Neutraal hotel in Amsterdam.
"Upon entering the room, officers found Santiago, his parents, the grandmother and two other children aged three and ten. Santiago was immediately taken into care. The parents were detained under an international arrest warrant, and the two children were placed in the care of the grandmother."
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The Public Prosecutor for Mons praised the excellent collaboration between Belgian, French and Dutch authorities. "We were searching for a baby whose life was in danger. This case has been very intense."
Santiago's disappearance was of extreme concern to the police as he had been in critical condition in hospital. The infant was born premature by two months and his life was in grave danger without the necessary medical assistance.
