Manuel Ranoque, the 41-year-old father of two young boys aged 1 and 4, has been arrested on allegations that he physically and verbally abused his late wife, Magdalena Mucutuy.
Mucutuy was the mother of the two boys and two girls, aged 9 and 13, who miraculously survived a plane crash in the Colombian Amazon on May 1, 2023 and lived alone in the jungle for 40 days before they were rescued.
Mucutuy was reported to have tragically died in the crash along with two other adults and the pilot. The four children survived the crash but were stranded in the dense jungle filled with poisonous snakes, deadly wild animals, and drug dealers.
Rescue teams located the children about 3 miles from the crash site on June 11 after following clues such as footprints, discarded food wrappers and a dirty diaper.
The children survived by eating cassava flour they scavenged from the wreckage and foraging for berries and seeds. The older girls were able to use survival skills they learned while growing up in the jungle to build shelter and find food and water.
After the dramatic rescue, Ranoque was engaged in a bitter custody battle with his late wife's parents over the two boys.
Mucutuy's mother, Narciso Mucutuy, 72, told authorities that Ranoque had a history of alcohol abuse and domestic violence. She said her daughter and grandchildren would often have to hide in the jungle at night when Ranoque would come home drunk and violent.
Ranoque admitted to reporters that he and Mucutuy had frequent verbal fights and some minor physical altercations but downplayed the abuse allegations, calling it "private family matters."
Colombian authorities arrested Ranoque, 41, on August 11, 2023 on charges related to domestic abuse but did not release further details.
The four children have been under the care of the Colombian Family Welfare Institute since the rescue.
With the mother deceased and the father now jailed, their maternal grandparents are expected to seek custody.
Astrid Cáceres, head of the Family Welfare Institute, praised the prosecutor's office for bringing charges against Ranoque, saying "We believe the prosecutor has operated within the full framework of the law."
The miraculous survival story of the four children, tagged the "miracle in the jungle," amazed internet users.
But the allegations of abuse have now put their father under scrutiny, raising concerns about the children's home life leading up to the fateful crash.
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