The 4 children involved – Manuel Ranoque is the father of the children aged 1 and 4 and is the stepfather of the two girls aged 9 and 13 involved in the accident. The four brothers have remained in the custody of the Colombian Child Protection Agency since leaving hospital after recovering from malnutrition and other ailments.
Grandfather’s accusations – His maternal grandfather, Narciso Mucutuy, accused Ranoque of beating the woman and mother of the children, Magdalena Mucutuy. Before authorities confirmed his arrest, Ranoque acknowledged to reporters that there had been some trouble at the house, but said he considered it a private family matter and not “gossip” for the rest of the world.
When asked if he had ever attacked his wife, Ranoque replied: “Verbally out of the blue, yes. Physically, very little, because we argued mostly in words.”