Greek authorities have arrested a 25-year-old woman, Irene Mourtzoukou, in connection with a chilling case involving the deaths of multiple infants and the attempted murder of an adult woman. The case, which has deeply disturbed the Greek public includes a series of suspicious deaths involving children who died while in her care or presence.
Mourtzoukou was taken into custody on Monday afternoon at a hotel in Athens by the Hellenic Police's Homicide and Personal Freedom Division. She is accused of intentional homicide and attempted murder, with the investigation linking her to the deaths of her two infant children, the death of a baby belonging to a close friend, and the attempted strangulation of another adult female friend. She is currently being held in Athens and is expected to appear before a prosecutor on Tuesday before being transferred to Patras for formal questioning.
The case, now widely referred to as the «Amaliada infant deaths», traces back to 2014, when Mourtzoukou’s 18-month-old sister died of respiratory complications. At the time, the incident was not considered suspicious. However, in the years that followed, four more infants died in cases that are now under renewed scrutiny. In 2021, while babysitting for a friend, Mourtzoukou was present when a 6-month-old child died. A year later, in 2022, her own 19-day-old baby died under circumstances initially attributed to interstitial pneumonia. In 2023, her second child, a two-month-old girl, died after experiencing epileptic seizures. Then, in August 2024, another 15-month-old child - the son of a close friend - died in Amaliada. Though the mother and Mourtzoukou initially claimed the baby died at the hospital, doctors confirmed he was already deceased upon arrival.
The case returned to national attention largely due to Greek television programs that played a key role in exposing inconsistencies in Mourtzoukou’s story. These broadcasts gathered testimonies, obtained documents, and introduced new witnesses whose accounts ultimately cast doubt on earlier narratives.
