Newsroom
A disturbing case involving a 32-year-old woman originally from Cyprus has rocked the city of Larissa in Greece after her two young children were found with what appear to be cigarette burns on their bodies.
The woman was arrested last week, and new revelations have brought her past under the spotlight, including a troubling history from her time in Cyprus. According to the lawyer representing the children’s father, the woman had previously lost custody of another child in Cyprus after he was taken to Paphos General Hospital showing signs of starvation. That child, now about 8 or 9 years old, was removed from her care at the time by welfare services.
The two children currently involved in the case are a 6-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. Their father, who has been separated from the woman for the past four to five years, says he has not seen his children in six months.
“She would vanish whenever I tried to visit Larissa,” he told reporters. “She avoided showing me the children, even when we were in communication.”
The father’s lawyer, Costas Galanos, says that although the mother doesn’t smoke herself, the presence of cigarette burns on the children suggests that someone else may have inflicted the injuries and that the mother turned a blind eye.
“This was not an accident. The signs are clear,” Galanos said. “When cigarette butts and burns are found on children, someone is responsible. She either allowed it or didn’t care.”
According to Galanos, the woman had previously filed a complaint of domestic abuse against the father but never showed up in court to pursue the matter, so no legal decision was ever made.
Speaking to Greek media, the children’s biological father described what he believes is a pattern of apathy and possible deeper dangers.
“She wasn’t cooking; she didn’t care,” he said. “I don’t think she’s the one who hurt them directly, but maybe she’s involved with people who aren’t exactly human.”
The father went on to say that he suspects the woman may be in a toxic relationship or caught up in something far darker. “I fear she’s gotten mixed up in a bad situation. And my kids are the ones paying the price.”
Authorities in Greece are continuing their investigation while the children are now under state protection.
