‘Unimaginable conditions’ behind infant’s death
A European arrest warrant has been issued for the mother of a three-month-old infant who died in horrific conditions, infested with insect bites and severely malnourished.
Police confirmed on Thursday they are in touch with authorities in Greece where the mother is believed to have gone.
Both parents of the child are facing charges of manslaughter. The 23-year-old father is serving an eight-day remand order from Nicosia court since Tuesday, while the mother is believed to be in Greece.
Exclusive images published in Philenews show empty milk containers strewn across the floor and an empty diaper packet in the baby’s cot.
The body of the three-month-old girl has been described to have been in conditions of severe neglect. An autopsy showed she was malnourished while the marks on her hands and legs are believed to have been from insects such as ants or fleas.
Her diaper had been unchanged for days and a source quoted in the Philenews report said the infant “was left to her fate”.
Journalist Fanis Makris who went to visit the home said officers found the apartment was all out of milk and diapers but for one empty container and empty diaper bag.
The case unfolded on Sunday when the father notified authorities that the baby was unwell. An ambulance which arrived to the scene found the child did not have signs of life and was declared dead at the Nicosia general hospital ER.
Though Lakatamia police had initially taken on the case, it has been transferred to Nicosia CID due to the severity.
The 23-year-old father initially told police that the mother had left two days ago, though officers say she left hours before he called an ambulance.
She allegedly told him she was going to Thessaloniki to find work.
He was arrested the next day, and authorities are seeking out the mother.
No records exist of the baby’s birth.
The flat the couple lived in was comprised of five tenants, where according to Makris’ account, all rooms were clean but for that where the family was sleeping in.
“The stench is still unbearable, the room was not ventilated and behind the door was a pile of rubbish and dirt. We even saw an empty packet of nappies and a powdered milk carton,” he wrote.