Fresh details have emerged in the macabre case in central Greece, where a 62-year-old woman admitted to burying her elderly mother near their home in order to keep receiving her pension and disability benefits.
The woman, who worked at a citizens’ service office, appeared before a prosecutor and was released without restrictive conditions. She admitted her actions, saying she was in financial difficulty, and promised to return the money collected since her mother’s death.
“I made a mistake and I will accept the consequences,” she reportedly told authorities, adding: “I will return the money I received from my mother’s pension as soon as possible. I had serious financial problems and debts, and that is why I did it.”
She has now returned to her village, moving back into her house just meters from where her mother’s remains were hidden for at least two years.
Her lawyer, Nikolaos Georgousis, explained that she is deeply remorseful and struggling to recover psychologically. “She is very ashamed of her actions. She made this mistake because she was in serious financial need and required money from her mother’s pension and benefits. She owed banks and had borrowed from others to cover her mother’s medical expenses and other family health issues,” he said.
The elderly woman’s pension amounted to €1,400 per month.
Unanswered questions
The case has raised serious questions about the true circumstances of the mother’s death. The 62-year-old claims her mother died in August 2023, but neighbors say she had been absent from public life for four to five years, with her daughter often giving conflicting accounts of her whereabouts.
Forensic experts at the University of Athens are examining the skeletal remains to determine possible causes of death, including whether there are bone fractures or signs of poisoning. However, pinpointing the exact time of death may prove impossible.
Another unresolved issue concerns a man known only as “Giannis,” said to have helped bury the body. Authorities are still searching for him.
Shocking testimony
The accused even tried to mislead police by presenting another elderly woman with dementia as her mother. Her nephew described a desperate plea from his aunt before a scheduled inspection:
“She came to me crying, saying, ‘Either you save me or I’ll kill myself.’ She told me inspectors were coming to check if her mother was at home because she was receiving an allowance, and if not, she would be prosecuted and lose everything.”
Colleagues at her workplace described her as eccentric and often difficult, noting frequent unexplained absences.
Legal proceedings
A case file has been opened against the 62-year-old for negligent homicide, fraud, failure to report a death, and giving false testimony. The investigation continues into both her role and that of the alleged accomplice.
