Authorities in the Hungarian town of Makó, close to the border with Serbia, have launched an extensive search after seven children sharing the same surname went missing on March 7.
Initially, police were alerted about five siblings, but it soon emerged that two more children were also missing, bringing the total to seven. The youngest child is only two years old, while the oldest has just turned 11. The circumstances surrounding their disappearance remain unclear, and authorities are investigating how all seven children could vanish simultaneously and where they might be.
According to available reports, most of the children had been living with foster families or in child care institutions. The local police department in Makó first opened a case for four missing children on March 7, some of whom were born in Pécs but raised in Makó. Within hours, the list of missing persons under the same case number was expanded to include three more children.
The youngest, a two-year-old, is being searched for alongside his siblings. Shortly afterward, police reported that children aged three, eight, and ten were also missing. Within hours, the name of an adult woman was added to the list under the same case number, suggesting a potential connection to the children’s disappearance.
Former inspector and retired police major Molnár commented that the identical case number indicates that the children and the adult woman likely disappeared at the same time.
“This suggests they went missing together, and the adult woman may have taken them,” Molnár explained.
He added that the children probably vanished from foster homes or institutions, and the exact familial or biological relationship between them and the missing woman is still unknown.
“Evidence suggests that the woman may have planned the departure and fled with the children. The seven children and the woman are likely still together, either hiding or on the move. Due to the number of children, it is difficult for them to remain unnoticed for long. Traveling by public transport would draw attention, and even a car would require a minibus,” he said.
Molnár noted that in cases where a woman—often the mother—takes or flees with her children, it is frequently linked to family disputes.
“It is possible the children were previously removed from her care, she may have recently been released from prison, or for some other reason, could not look after them. The police must act quickly in the children’s interest, which is why they were placed in institutions or with foster families,” he emphasized.
Authorities have not released further details to avoid compromising the search and to protect the children’s privacy.
A large-scale operation is ongoing to locate the seven children and the adult woman believed to be with them.
