2023-08-12 12:05:47
The man denies all charges. Manuel Ranoque, father of two of four indigenous children rescued from the Amazon rainforest in Colombia, was arrested on Friday after being accused of sexually assaulting one of his stepdaughters. This arrest was confirmed by the prosecution, which does not specify the charges against this man, a 47-year-old Huitoto Indian.
“Full information will be sent when he is judged. Hearings are expected to take place tomorrow (Saturday), but it depends on the judge,” a spokeswoman for the prosecution said. In June, when the children were found in the Colombian forest, 40 days after the small plane they were traveling in crashed, William Castro, governor of the family’s indigenous village, told Caracol television that “there was signs”, according to which Manuel Ranoque had raped the eldest of the children.
Injuries observed on the mother
The governor also presented a photo of the injuries allegedly suffered by Magdalena Mucutuy, the children’s mother, which were allegedly inflicted by the same man. A battle erupted between the maternal grandparents and the father of the two youngest children over who would have custody of them. According to a complaint from the grandfather, Manuel Ranoque subjected the mother, who died in the crash, to violence.
The children: Lesly (13 years old), Soleiny (9 years old), Tien Noriel (5 years old) and Cristin (1 year old) were hospitalized one month after being found in the forest terribly thin. According to María Valencia, the children’s maternal grandmother, Lesly recently testified before the prosecution.
VIDEO. Children rescued in Colombia: images of the rescue released
The lives of these young children changed on May 1, when they were victims of the crash of the plane on board which they were. The three adults who accompanied them, including their mother, died on the spot. But in the middle of the jungle, Lesly, Soleiny, Tien Noriel and Cristin were nowhere to be found. Their fate has aroused the concern of an entire country. All were found alive, after spending 40 days in the Amazon jungle.
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