Irini Mourtzoukou to Appear Before Magistrate Over the Deaths of Four Infants

Irini Mourtzoukou, 25, is expected to be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours to answer charges related to the deaths of four infants. She has confessed to killing her sister, her two children, and a friend’s baby. However, further investigation reveals a previous attempted infant murder in 2016 when she was 16, two years after her sister’s death.

2016 Attempted Infant Murder

In 2016, while living with her family and then-partner, Mourtzoukou shared a house with a woman and her baby. On October 6, the infant was rushed to Karamandaneio General Hospital of Patras with a sudden unexplained attack. Doctors noted the baby was irritable, sleepy, and pale.

According to family members, the baby was in Mourtzoukou’s room when the infant’s mother briefly stepped outside. Minutes later, Mourtzoukou shouted that something was wrong with the baby, who was found unconscious with blackened lips. The baby regained consciousness en route to the hospital and stayed there until October 11.

The infant’s mother moved out afterward, blaming Mourtzoukou for the incident. Pediatric specialists later confirmed the baby suffered two unexplained loss-of-consciousness episodes unrelated to epilepsy or other neurological disorders.

Death of a Friend’s Baby in 2021

On February 4, 2021, a friend’s baby was taken unconscious to the same hospital but could not be revived. The attending pediatrician described the infant as cold, unconscious, with fixed dilated pupils, and no heartbeat. The coroner ruled the cause of death as intermittent childhood pneumonia.

The infant’s mother had left her baby in Mourtzoukou’s care that night. The baby was reportedly healthy and fed before being put to sleep. Shortly after 4:30 a.m., Mourtzoukou told her partner she heard a strange sound from the infant and then reported the baby had died.

An ambulance was called but reportedly delayed by 30 minutes. The infant was transported to the hospital at 6 a.m., where resuscitation efforts failed.

Mourtzoukou’s calm demeanor at the hospital raised suspicions. She allegedly asked the baby’s mother to lie to the police about her whereabouts that night.

Death of Mourtzoukou’s First Child in 2022

On June 19, 2022, Mourtzoukou’s first baby was found unconscious and was pronounced dead at Kato Achaia Health Center. The cause of death was again linked to intermittent childhood pneumonia.

At the time, Mourtzoukou was staying with a Bangladeshi couple who testified to unusual behavior—Mourtzoukou would leave the baby with her mother daily and return late at night. Witnesses reported Mourtzoukou returning home between 11:30 p.m. and midnight with the baby covered completely in a stroller.

The host and neighbors noted that at around 1 a.m., Mourtzoukou was heard crying on the phone, saying the baby was not breathing and had turned black. Despite urgent attempts to call for help, the infant was declared dead shortly after hospital arrival.

Death of Mourtzoukou’s Second Child in 2023

Mourtzoukou’s second child died on October 17, 2023, at “Agia Sophia” Children’s Hospital in Athens. The coroner cited sudden neonatal death linked to a history of epilepsy.

Before the death, the baby showed multiple episodes of distress at the hospital, with Mourtzoukou frequently calling nurses due to alleged convulsions. Staff observed that Mourtzoukou removed the infant’s monitor multiple times despite warnings.

On the night of the infant’s death, Mourtzoukou was found lying down with the baby in the cot—against hospital rules—and doctors could not revive the child.

Witnesses and hospital staff noted Mourtzoukou’s behavior as unusual, including refusing to socialize and exhibiting signs of emotional distress.