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A woman believed to be the mother of a 3-year-old girl found dead on a beach in southern Athens has been arrested and confessed to involvement in the case, according to Greek authorities.
The child’s body was discovered on Sunday, July 27, on Edem Beach in the seaside district of Palaio Faliro. The child, estimated to be around three years old, showed no visible signs of violence.
Investigators identified a woman through surveillance footage showing her walking in the area with three children, two on foot and one in a stroller, which police believe carried the victim. In the later footage, the stroller appeared empty.
The woman, an Algerian national who is reportedly living in Greece without legal status, was detained by police early Friday morning in the neighborhood of Kato Patissia.
She was apprehended around 7 a.m. while waiting for a taxi with her two other children. According to officials, she had intended to leave the area.
Her location was determined through a multi-step tracking effort involving the Hellenic Coast Guard and police. Investigators contacted an Israeli tourist who had used the same taxi just before the suspect.
Through messaging apps, the tourist helped identify the driver, who confirmed that he had taken the woman from Palaio Faliro to Kato Patissia on the night of the incident.
Officers later located the taxi driver at a stand in central Athens, and he directed them to the drop-off location. The area was placed under discreet surveillance on Thursday afternoon, and the woman was arrested the following morning.
She was transferred to Athens police headquarters and then to the Flisvos Coast Guard Department, which is conducting the preliminary investigation.
During questioning today, the woman confessed to police that her daughter had suffered an accident at home while taking a bath.
According to ERT, she claimed she believed the child would recover and decided to take her for a walk in the stroller. She then said the child died during the outing, and in a panic, she abandoned the stroller near the sea.
However, forensic evidence raised doubts about her version of events. A preliminary autopsy revealed that the child had inhaled a small amount of water and sand, suggesting she may have still been alive when she entered the sea.
Authorities are investigating whether the child died by drowning or was already in a semi-conscious state before being left at the beach.
The woman reportedly did not alert emergency services after the incident. She is being questioned about her failure to alert authorities for several days and her decision to leave the body in a public area.
Surveillance footage played a critical role in the investigation. In one video, the woman is seen arriving at Edem Beach with three children. In a later recording, she appears with only two children and an empty stroller, which she reportedly left behind before quickly entering a taxi toward Piraeus.
Police are also reviewing her background. Reports say the father of the child is of Syrian origin and allegedly has a history of domestic violence toward the woman and the children, although he is not currently under investigation.
Authorities continue to examine whether the child was abandoned alive or dead and are awaiting final autopsy results. The suspect remains in custody and is expected to face formal charges after further questioning by the Coast Guard and police.
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