The father of two of the four children who survived a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults, then survived alone in the Amazon jungle for 40 days, was arrested.
Colombia’s prosecutor’s office confirmed that officials have arrested 32-year-old Manuel Ranoque, the father of the 1- and 4-year-old boys in the crash and the stepfather of the two girls, ages 9 and 13.
Officials gave few details about the arrest, but media reports said it was allegations of abuse.
Astrid Eliana Cáceres, director of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare, said the government agency was cooperating with authorities.
“We learned of the arrest of the father of two minor Mucutuy children and we believe the prosecutor’s office acted within the full framework of the law,” she said.
The father of two of the four children who survived a plane crash that killed their mother and two other adults, then survived alone in the Amazon jungle for 40 days, was arrested
Exclusive photos show the four siblings, Lesly, 13, Soleiny, nine, Tien Noriel, four, and baby Cristin, one, safe in their hospital beds at a military hospital in Bogota, Colombia
Ranoque was involved in a custody battle over the children with their maternal grandparents.
Their mother died four days after the crash, according to the eldest child, Lesly.
The four siblings have been taken into custody by Colombian Child Protection since they left the hospital after recovering from malnutrition and other ailments.
Their maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, has accused Ranoque of beating their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy.
Before authorities confirmed his arrest, Ranoque admitted to reporters that there was trouble at home, but said he considered it a private family matter and not “gossip” to the rest of the world.
When asked if he had abused his wife, Ranoque replied: ‘Verbally yes. Physically very little, because we had more battles of words.’
The arrest took place in Bogota according to El Paísa Spanish-language newspaper.
The director of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute (ICBF), Astrid Cáceres, told the outlet that the siblings were doing well.
Ranoque and military personnel took part in the rescue mission in which the 32-year-old admitted to using hallucinogens to have visions that could lead them to the displaced minors
“The children are still in the process of establishing their rights. We’re not going to expose them to any other exercise. Their history and their personal lives are their own,’ she said.
Magdalena Mucutuy, the mother of the four children, died in a plane crash while they were traveling to Bogota to meet Ranoque – who had fled an indigenous reservation where he was governor, according to the outlet.
It is alleged that Ranoque tried to get away after reporting threats from the Frente Carolina Ramirez – a group led by former guerrilla leaders – for control of Putumayo and Caquetá, two areas in the Colombian Amazon, near the border with Ecuador and Peru. who play a crucial role in the drug trade.
The children survived on cassava flour found in the luggage of one of the deceased, fruit from the jungle and a package of emergency supplies dropped by military personnel.
Ranoque and military personnel took part in the rescue mission in which the 32-year-old admitted to using hallucinogens to have visions that could lead them to the displaced minors.
When the children were finally found in June, complaints from the children’s maternal grandparents began to pour.
ICBF took on the children as they investigated claims of child abuse – allegations vehemently denied by Ranoque, who sought custody.
“They are my children, not the president’s,” he told the newspaper in July.
Magdalena Mucutuy, the mother of the four children, died in a plane crash while traveling to Bogota to meet Ranoque
DailyMail.com spoke to Dairo, Valencia’s brother, as he sat in the lobby of his Bogota hotel. “We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the kids,” Dairo said. “The most painful thing is that my sister never said goodbye to us”
Maternal grandparents, Narciso Mucutuy and María Fátima Valencia, alleged that Ranoque “beat their daughter and abused their grandchildren.”
They also fought for custody of the children.
A few weeks ago it was reported that Ranoque had filed a million dollar lawsuit against Avianline Charters – the owner of the crashed plane.
DailyMail.com confronted Ranoque on the street after allegations he had abused Magdalena and her family exclusively said he was having an affair.
Wearing what appeared to be new red-and-white high-top Nike sneakers, designer jeans, and a colorful native beaded necklace emblazoned with images of toucans and a tiger’s head, he evaded our questions.
When asked if he had any answer to the claim that he physically hit Magdalena, one of the counselors shook his head and said, “Don’t answer that.”
Ranoque, who was outside the military hospital where all four children are currently recovering, did say, “I can’t talk about that.
‘I can’t say anything. They have forbidden me to say anything. These are personal matters.’
It was not clear who he was referring to when he said ‘she’, but it was understood that he had engaged a lawyer.
The four native children are depicted after being rescued. They were missing for six weeks in the Colombian Amazon jungle after a plane crash
Belgian Shepherd Wilson played a vital role in tracking down the four children, but remains missing in the Amazon rainforest
When asked if he wanted to talk about the rescue, he declined, saying, “I can’t right now.” Because I have to go to the shops and get some clothes before they close.’ He did not say whether this was for himself or for the children.
DailyMail.com previously exclusively revealed that Magdalena’s brother Dairo Mucutuy, 30, believed Ranoque was cheating on his sister.
Ranoque – who has been very vocal about claiming his rights over all four survivors – left Magdalena in their indigenous community off Bogota, claiming he was threatened by FARC guerrillas in their homeland.
But once in the sprawling capital, the father of the two younger children reportedly had an affair — and then brought the woman back to the southern tribal area, where he shattered his wife of seven years, her brother Dairo told DailyMail.com.
Ranoque later left for Bogota again, but kept the mother-of-four in hopes they could mend a relationship, Dairo said at the time.
Sitting in the lobby of his hotel in Bogota, Dairo calmly revealed to us, “What happened is that Manuel came to this city and cheated on my sister here.
“The point is that he brought the woman he cheated with back into the community. So of course my sister left home because of the affair and came to live with me and my partner and two kids.’
Dairo, who has come to the capital from his base in the homeland of the indigenous Huitoto group to offer his support to the surviving children, continued: “Manuel went back to Bogota, but he left her a bag and in it was a piece of paper with a phone number.
Magdalena communicated with him. But we noticed that when she talked to him, she hid. And sometimes we heard her cry.
“We think she was somehow fooled into trying to come to Bogota. We’re not exactly sure of the reasons.’
“We didn’t know Magdalena was leaving with the kids,” Dairo said. “The most painful thing is that my sister never said goodbye to us.
‘We couldn’t talk. It hurt when I found out what happened between her and Manuel. I’m so sad that I never got to talk to her properly about it. I felt I didn’t want to pressure her about something that was so hard for her.
‘I was waiting for the right moment. But that moment never came because she had clearly made her decision to leave and we knew nothing about it.
“She came to a community meeting just before and we thought she was going to our aunt’s house. We didn’t know her goal was to take that plane. Maybe she felt confused. We’ll never know now.’
Amid the growing bitterness over the children’s future, Dairo said, “The hope is that the children stay together, because of what they’ve been through.
“Lesly got them all through this. And that creates a special bond. We want them to always stay together and that Manuel doesn’t fight for custody.
‘I spoke to the father of the eldest two, Andres. He has seen the children and he told me that now is not the time for fighting and division. It is the time to focus on the well-being, safety and comfort of the children.’