Greek authorities are intensifying efforts to locate 16-year-old Laura, who has been missing for 11 days, as investigators piece together her final known movements and examine growing indications that she may have fled abroad.
Laura disappeared on January 8 after leaving her family home in the city of Patras. She traveled by taxi to the Zografou area of Athens, where she was last seen. Despite an extensive search operation, police have so far been unable to trace her whereabouts.
Tracing Laura’s Final Movements
Investigators from the Hellenic Police are reviewing security camera footage and collecting testimonies from relatives and friends to reconstruct the teenager’s actions before her disappearance. According to authorities, Laura appears to have carefully planned her departure, avoiding mistakes that could have led to her early detection.
Her last confirmed sighting was in Zografou, where she visited a pawn shop before taking another taxi. The driver of that taxi has not yet come forward, and police consider the testimony crucial to determining her next destination.
Signs of Long-Term Planning
Police believe Laura had been preparing to leave home for at least two years, saving money by selling handmade items and jewelry. Information gathered so far suggests she attempted to alter her appearance to look older and may have planned to use her mother’s identification documents in order to travel abroad.
Authorities are also awaiting data from mobile phone providers to analyze call activity in areas where Laura was last detected, hoping to identify possible contacts who may have assisted her. “There is definitely someone helping her. A 16-year-old child cannot easily find someone to make a fake passport,” he said.
Possible Escape Abroad
Investigators increasingly believe Laura may have left Greece, possibly traveling to Germany. Her mother told police she had seen her daughter photographing her passport, and authorities note the strong physical resemblance between mother and daughter, which may have facilitated travel using false or borrowed identification.
Police believe Laura most likely left the country by road rather than by air.
A private investigator working on the case said the disappearance shows signs of careful organization and suggested it would have been difficult for a minor to act entirely alone.
Additional Testimonies Raise Concerns
A classmate told investigators that Laura had previously asked questions related to pregnancy and expressed thoughts of self-harm, concerns that reportedly led to her changing schools. These statements have heightened concern among authorities, who are now seeking testimony from school officials to better understand her emotional state and family environment prior to her disappearance.
