A former police officer was arrested in Portugal along with his children; two women were found dead.

On Tuesday, March 24, after a manhunt that began in Aveyron, a 42-year-old man, Cédric P., a former police officer with a prior conviction, was arrested in Portugal. He was with his two children, a 12-year-old boy and a one-and-a-half-year-old girl. The two minors were found alive and taken into care, a detail that stands in stark contrast to the rest of the case.

It all began a few days earlier in Vailhourles, a small rural area where absences are quickly noticed. A 40-year-old woman didn't show up for work, and her son didn't appear at school. A relative raised the alarm. The prosecutor in Rodez then opened an investigation for "kidnapping and unlawful confinement of several people," while the search intensified among the former civil servant's circle of acquaintances.

The missing persons quickly accumulate, painting a disturbing picture. The suspect, a resident of Savignac, is nowhere to be found, nor are his new partner and their baby. In this type of case, every hour counts, and every possible route becomes a lead, even leading across borders. French investigators issue an appeal for witnesses, which is then relayed throughout the Iberian Peninsula, with the support of Portuguese authorities.

Two bodies buried, the investigation takes on a new dimension.

On Wednesday, the Portuguese judicial police announced they had found two bodies in Portugal "presumed to be those of the partner and ex-partner of the man in question." According to the statement, the remains were buried "in a secluded location." The ex-partner is the mother of the 12-year-old boy, and the new partner is the mother of the girl, a chilling reminder of the close relationship between the victims and the suspect.

The arrest took place in Mêda, in northeastern Portugal, near the Spanish border. According to initial reports, Cédric P. was carrying a weapon at the time of his arrest and was taken into custody. This detail carries significant weight, because it suggests a mastery of the rules and risks, that of a former police officer, and raises the persistent question of what he intended to do next.

Now comes the judicial process, slower and more methodical, which must determine how and when these two women died, and what transpired during their disappearance. The arrangements for the children's care, their future situation, and any potential transfer to French authorities will also be central to the next steps. Between international cooperation and upcoming expert analyses, the case is entering a phase where the facts, finally, must speak for themselves.