Investigations into the circumstances surrounding the death of the 3-year-old girl found dead last week in Palaio Faliro are ongoing, as authorities have located bloodstains from the minor in the Patissia apartment where she lived with her 32-year-old mother.

This evidence is being scrutinized by investigators, as they attempt to determine whether the child had an accident in the bathroom—as claimed by the mother—or if the blood resulted from abuse.

Charged with Premeditated Murder in a Calm State of Mind

It should be noted that the 32-year-old is being prosecuted for premeditated murder in a calm state of mind, and for domestic abuse causing bodily harm against her daughter, who was found drowned in Palaio Faliro. The case file was compiled during the preliminary investigation and has been forwarded to the Athens Prosecutor’s Office.

After reviewing the evidence, the prosecutor filed criminal charges against the mother for premeditated murder of a minor family member in a calm mental state—a felony—as well as for dangerous domestic bodily harm against a family member unable to resist, a misdemeanor.

“She was wet and playing on her phone,” says taxi driver

Meanwhile, a taxi driver who transported the mother and her two older children home from Palaio Faliro has come forward with his account.

Speaking to Star, the driver said he picked up the woman and her children on Poseidonos Avenue after midnight. The woman was soaking wet and accompanied by her two young sons. She told him she spoke French and, according to the driver, did not appear distressed when she got into the vehicle.

“They were soaked, and I felt sorry for them. I was finishing my shift, and they asked me to take them to Liosion Street. During the ride, she told me she was from France. She didn’t seem like she was in a bad state. The kids looked a bit exhausted, because she was dragging them around… That’s why I stopped to give them a lift,” he said.

“I kept thinking—what is a woman doing alone at 2 a.m. at the beach, soaking wet?” he added.

The driver hadn’t realized until recently that the woman under police investigation was the same person he had driven that night.

“When we got to their house, I looked back to check if she had left anything behind. The seat was wet. She sat in the middle and was playing with her phone. The kids were sleeping—they were exhausted. She hadn’t placed them safely in the seat, they were leaning to the sides while she sat in between,” he noted.

Once informed of the woman’s identity and the horrific act, the driver was shaken.

“I was trembling inside. If I had known what had happened, I would’ve told her we need to go back and get the child. Maybe she wouldn’t have died. We could have taken her straight to the hospital,” he said.