New details have emerged in the investigation into the death of an infant whose frozen body was found inside a suitcase in the Athens neighborhood of Kypseli, raising further questions about the circumstances surrounding the child’s death.
According to information from the preliminary police investigation, the 43-year-old father reportedly told police that the infant had been kept in a freezer for approximately two years.
Authorities are continuing their investigation to establish the exact circumstances of the baby’s death, as well as the precise time and location of the child’s birth and killing.
Father gives account to police
According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, the 43-year-old reportedly told police that he did not bury the infant because he feared the case would be discovered and that social services would take away his other children.
“I did not have the strength to bury it because I was afraid the case would be discovered and social services would take my other children,” he reportedly told investigators.
He also claimed that the baby had been born at a maternity hospital in Athens but that the family had been given a different child at birth.
According to his account, the infant later died from medical causes, after which he decided to place the body in a freezer, where it remained for an extended period.
The father also reportedly claimed that the baby had been “possessed by the devil.” He told investigators that the eight-month-old baby cried constantly and that his partner was struggling.
“The baby cried all the time and my wife was depressed. They switched our baby at the maternity hospital and gave us another one that was possessed, and when it died, our home became calm,” he reportedly said.
Forensic findings point to homicide
The forensic examination, however, does not support the account that the infant died from medical causes.
Police sources said the examination found more than 10 stab wounds to the baby’s back. Police analyst Stavros Balaskas, speaking to Greek broadcaster MEGA, reportedly referred to as many as 15 wounds inflicted with a serrated kitchen knife.
Forensic pathologist Dimitris Galenteris told the Live News program that injuries caused by a penetrating instrument and affecting vital organs indicate that the cause of death was homicide involving such an instrument.
Determining when the child died remains difficult. According to Galenteris, keeping the body in a refrigerated environment preserved the injuries and provided information about the cause and mechanism of death, but did not allow investigators to establish the precise time of death.
Authorities are now seeking to identify the person responsible for the killing and reconstruct the events that led to the infant’s death.
Investigators seek answers about the child’s identity
Police are working to establish the exact time and location of the infant’s birth, as well as where the killing took place.
Laboratory tests, including DNA analysis, are expected to provide information about the child’s identity and the biological relationship between the infant and people involved in the case.
Investigators are also collecting testimony from people under scrutiny in an effort to establish the circumstances in which the baby died and remained hidden for such a long period.
Items found in the suitcases
Police found several items among the couple’s belongings, including seven sex toys, a black mask, a camera, a computer and a storage drive.
The second, pink suitcase contained the infant’s body, wrapped in a red thermal bag and kept in a frozen state. Above the bag were a garbage bag and packaging containing a red substance believed to be blood.
The suitcase also contained a small digging tool, a small shovel, a blue blanket and another sex toy. The presence of the digging tools has raised the possibility that the infant may have been intended to be transported and buried.
Drugs and possible trafficking evidence
Police also found a black pouch in the 43-year-old man’s possession containing three mobile phones, plastic packages with large quantities of suspected drugs, precision scales and small plastic bags used to separate substances.
According to information in the case, the findings point not simply to possession of drugs for personal use but to activity potentially connected to drug distribution.
The investigation by Athens police is continuing, while the suspects are expected to appear before the relevant judicial authorities on Wednesday, September 2, to give their statements in the case.
