Greek police have arrested 25-year-old Eirini Mourtzoukou, the central figure in an infant deaths case that has horrified the public. She was detained on Monday afternoon at a hotel in central Athens by officers from the Homicide and Organised Crime Division, following a warrant issued by an investigating judge in Achaia.
Mourtzoukou is accused of multiple counts of murder and attempted murder in connection with the deaths of five infants in Achaia and Amaliada. Two of the children were her own.
The infant deaths case first came to light after the death of a friend’s 6-month-old baby, which Mourtzoukou was caring for in February 2021. The official cause of death was listed as interstitial pneumonia, though the child had previously suffered from seizures.
In June 2022, Mourtzoukou’s own 19-day-old daughter also died. The coroner again cited interstitial pneumonia. A second daughter, just two months old, died of cardiac arrest at the ‘Paidon’ children’s hospital. Investigators began to notice disturbing patterns linking these cases.
In addition to these confirmed deaths, Mourtzoukou has been linked to the death of 15-month-old Panagiotakis, who passed away in Amaliada in August 2024, and to the death of her sister in 2014. Her own mother has publicly accused her of being a murderer.
Authorities have also reopened an older case involving an alleged attempted homicide in 2020, where a friend claimed Mourtzoukou grabbed her by the throat and tried to strangle her.
After her arrest, Mourtzoukou was taken into custody and is being held in a secure facility. According to police sources, she is in a very poor psychological state. She has denied any involvement in the deaths or attempted murders and maintains her innocence.
She is expected to be brought before a court in Athens on Tuesday, before being transferred to Patras to face further questioning by the judge who issued the arrest warrant.
The case has drawn widespread media attention in Greece, with many comparing it to previous high-profile child death investigations. While the investigation is ongoing, the public reaction has been one of shock, particularly as the pattern of deaths stretches back over a decade.
Forensic and medical experts are now working to re-evaluate the previous post-mortem findings and assess any new evidence. The infant deaths case remains open, and prosecutors are expected to request a full psychiatric evaluation.
Mourtzoukou has not yet entered a plea, and no trial date has been set.
Also read: Update: Cypriot woman jailed in Larissa for child abuse
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