A seven-year-old British girl and her baby sister were found alone in a car in Tenerife, according to local news.
The children were discovered on June 17 by a concerned resident who noticed the white Volkswagen Polo rental parked in the sun with its windows closed.
After 15 minutes with no sign of the parents, police were called to the Apolo Commercial Centre in Los Cristianos. Officers persuaded the seven-year-old to unlock the car door.
Inside, they found yoghurts, juices, and documents identifying the man believed to be the girls’ father.
Police searched the shopping centre and found a 38-year-old British man in a hair salon. He initially denied being the father and claimed to have a different name. Unable to find the parents, police notified the local prosecutor, who ordered the girls to be taken to a maternal unit.
With help from the car rental company, police confirmed the man’s identity using his driving licence and other information. When police returned to the salon to detain him, the man had already left.
A 35-year-old Polish man then arrived, claiming to be a friend of the father and offering to pick up the children, but the police refused to release them without proper identification of the parents.
Eventually, police found the girls’ mother, a 27-year-old British tourist. She came to the shopping centre, confirmed her identity, and took custody of the children.
According to Canarian Weekly, police have opened a case and are seeking to arrest the father on suspicion of child abandonment.
