Parents charged with abducting French baby remain jailed in Amsterdam
A French couple suspected of abducting their premature baby from a hospital in Paris was arraigned on Monday and remanded into custody, the court in Amsterdam announced. The 23-year-old man and 25-year-old woman were arrested in an Amsterdam hotel on Friday. They are currently awaiting extradition to France.
The baby, Santiago, was born prematurely at a hospital in Paris on October 6. Last week, his parents took him from the hospital and fled. The French authorities consider this abduction as Santiago requires constant medical care. After an Amber Alert was issued, the parents were found in Hotel Neutraal in Amsterdam on Friday.
On Monday, the French Public Prosecution Service reported that Santiago was in good health and was being cared for in a place of safety, according to RTL Nieuws. The French Prosecutor did not say much about the parents’ motive, except that they may have been afraid of losing custody of their child.
The baby was wrapped in a blanket when he was found on Friday, the French Prosecutor said. In addition to Santiago and his parents, the child’s grandmother and two other children were also in the hotel room - a 3-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy. The girl is very likely Santiago’s sister. It is unclear who the boy is.
