JUNGLE ARREST
Dad of four children who spent 40 days alone in the Amazon jungle after their plane crashed is arrested
THE dad of four children who spent 40 days alone in the Amazon rainforest after their plane crashed in May has been arrested, local media has claimed.
Manuel Ranoque, 32, was the dad of two boys, aged one and four, as well as the stepfather of the two girls, aged nine and 13, who spent weeks in the jungle.
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He was detained on suspicion of abusing the mother of his two stepkids, who was killed in the incident.
The four children on board the plane, aged between one and 13, faced a nightmare ordeal when the plane that was carrying them, their mum, and two other adults crashed and left them stranded in the Colombian jungle.
The Colombian prosecutor's office has now confirmed the arrest of Ranoque.
The statement does not detail the reason, but local media has reported that the case against Ranoque involved allegations of domestic abuse.
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Following the crash on May 1, the aircraft was recovered by the Colombian military six weeks later.
Initially, there was no sign of the boys which later sparked an intense search to find them.
Military sources told the that the children were found alive after 40 days on their own in the jungle.
The children were said to be dehydrated and had insect bites but were otherwise in good condition.
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Ranoque has since been fighting for custody of the kids with their maternal grandparents.
They have been under the care of Colombia's child protection agency since leaving hospital.
But the children's maternal grandad, Narciso Mucutuy, has accused Ranoque of abusing their mother, Magdalena Mucutuy.
Before cops confirmed his arrest, Ranoque admitted to local reporters there had been problems at home.
He said it was a private family matter and not "gossip" for the world.
When questioned on whether he had assaulted his wife, Ranoque responded: "Verbally all of a sudden, yes. Physically, very little."
Last month, he told reporters his kids were finally out of the hospital after making a "total recovery" from malnutrition and other ailments.
He also added they were in the custody of Colombia's Institute of Family Welfare - a military hospital that looks after the vulnerable young and elderly - for six weeks.
May's plane crash took place on the border between Guaviare and Caquetá, where giant trees can grow up to 40 meters tall and heavy rainfall is common.
After finding the crash site, hundreds of Special Forces soldiers and indigenous volunteers scoured the jungle for the children.
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Three helicopters were deployed, one of which blasted out a recorded message from the kids' grandmother in their native Huitoto language, telling them to stop moving through the jungle.
Tragically, the children's mother was killed in the crash, along with the pilot and an indigenous leader.
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