Mother of missing children speaks out

Wednesday, 11 January 2012 12:23

Written by Editor

Ruth Ortiz, the mother of six-year-old Ruth and two-year-old José Bretón who went missing in a Córdoba park three months ago while in the care of their father, has accused her ex-partner of being behind their disappearance. Speaking in public for the first time on Sunday, she told a group of journalists: "Everyone who knows José Bretón knows that he did not lose the children, and those who don't know him can be sure that I know what I am talking about." She went on: "He has to tell the truth. He is responsible for the disappearance of my children and he must speak. His family also knows that he is to blame, but for them it is easier to cling to the hope that they were lost, as he claims, rather than accept the stark reality." She and Bretón had separated not long before he reported them as missing. The couple used to live together in Huelva, and the children were visiting Bretón in Córdoba, where he was living after they split up. He told police he lost track of them at around 6 pm on a Saturday afternoon, while walking in the Cruz Conde park. However, CCTV cameras show him entering the park alone and witnesses who remember him said they never saw the children. Police have repeatedly searched properties owned by Bretón's parents but have not found any trace of the children.