Hamogelo tou Pediou: What it reveals about the mother of the 10-month-old infant in Ilia

“The Smile of the Child” issued a statement on Thursday (26/3) following media reports about the abuse case of the 10-month-old infant from Pyrgos.

The announcement places emphasis on the past of the infant’s mother, as well as that of her younger brother.

“The Smile of the Child” reports that two years earlier, in May 2024, the then 16-year-old mother had run away from home, prompting the organization to activate the Missing Kid Alert mechanism in order to locate her. On July 11 of the same year, the Missing Kid Alert was deactivated after the 16-year-old returned home.

At the same time as these events, “The Smile of the Child” was providing care to her then 13-year-old brother, who had been found wandering alone in the Patras area and, following a prosecutor’s order, was admitted to the University General Hospital of Patras.

The full announcement by “Hamogelo tou pediou”

On the occasion of media reports stating that a 10-month-old baby is hospitalized with fractures and burns at the Karamandaneio Children’s Hospital in Patras,

“Hamogelo tou pediou” informs that:

• On 28/05/24, following a prosecutor’s order, “Hamogelo tou pediou” activated the Missing Kid Alert mechanism to locate the then 16-year-old mother of the now 10-month-old baby, who had run away from home.
• On 11/07/2024, the Missing Kid Alert was deactivated, as the 16-year-old had returned home.
• At the same time, and independently of the search, from 20/05/24 “Hamogelo tou pediou” provided care to her 13-year-old brother, who had been found wandering alone in Patras and, by prosecutor’s order, was admitted to the University General Hospital of Patras.
• On 04/06/24, “Hamogelo tou pediou” received a request to host the 13-year-old, which was not implemented.

Today, two years later, Greek society is once again shocked by what media describe as the brutal abuse of a baby.

A team from “Hamogelo tou pediou,” currently in Patras for the first meeting of the Western Greece Regional Network—attended by institutional and volunteer organizations aiming to create a framework for more effective management of all threats to children—is in constant communication with the competent authorities handling the case of the 10-month-old baby.

Concerns over the 10-month-old infant – How the case was revealed

The prosecutor in Patras is awaiting the forensic report regarding the abuse case of the 10-month-old infant from Pyrgos. The examination is expected to take place today or tomorrow, and will determine whether charges will be filed and whether authorities will begin searching for the 18-year-old Roma mother, who remains free and whose whereabouts are unknown.

Everything began on March 16, when a woman saw the 18-year-old with her 10-month-old baby girl in a square and noticed an obviously untreated wound on the child’s leg, prompting her to call emergency services.

Police officers from the DIAS unit brought in the mother and transferred the infant to the Pyrgos Hospital, where doctors identified a leg wound and a severe infection, but did not initially report signs of abuse.

The child received medical care, while the mother was arrested for exposing a minor to danger and was later released by verbal order pending trial.

The child was subsequently deemed in need of transfer to the Karamandaneio Hospital in Patras. There, the examining doctor found a fracture in the child’s leg as well as visible injuries and skin lesions indicative of abuse, as he stated in his testimony to the Patras Security Department yesterday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the 18-year-old mother has disappeared and remains untraceable.

The investigation—handled by the Patras Security Department—is ongoing, aiming to clarify the circumstances under which the child was injured.