Three days after Santiago’s mysterious disappearance from a hospital in Seine-Saint-Denis, the public prosecutor in Bobigny, Éric Mathais, announced at a press conference on 24 October that the three-week-old infant and his parents had not been located in Belgium.

‘We are very concerned about the health and safety of this child’, he said, emphasising the total commitment of the Belgian judicial and police authorities in this case. An investigation has been opened for ‘kidnapping, confinement and arbitrary detention of a minor in an organised gang’.

Urgent appeal from the Bobigny public prosecutor concerning Santiago’s disappearance

While Santiago remains missing, the Bobigny public prosecutor made a moving appeal to his parents at a press conference on Thursday 24 October. Éric Mathais stressed the urgency of the situation:

‘His parents must realise their responsibility and act to guarantee their child the vital care he so desperately needs’, he said. He urged: ‘If they can hear me, I implore them, for the sake of their baby, to get to the nearest hospital immediately. I also encourage everyone in contact with them to persuade them to take Santiago to an appropriate medical facility.’

Total commitment from the authorities

The public prosecutor reiterated that all measures were being taken to find Santiago and ensure his medical care. ‘We still have hope of finding the baby alive’, he added, stressing the crucial importance of acting quickly.

Details of the abduction

Santiago, a premature infant aged 19 days, was taken from the maternity ward of the Robert-Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois on the night of 21 October, between 11pm and 11.30pm. Prior to his abduction, he required intensive medical care, and had to be placed in an incubator, monitored, with a gastric tube for feeding, using a special milk for premature babies.

Locating the parents

According to recent reports, Santiago’s parents, aged 23 and 25 respectively, are known to the police and judicial authorities and are currently in Belgium. CCTV cameras captured them in a hotel in Mons on Tuesday morning, while their vehicle was found in Charleroi the following day.

Arrests in connection with the investigation

As part of the investigation into the kidnapping, five people, including a minor, were arrested and taken into custody on Tuesday. According to the public prosecutor, ‘two of them, including the minor, admitted having accompanied the couple and the infant to Belgium before returning during the night’.