There are many troubling questions that the Dhekelia Police are seeking answers to following the unimaginable tragedy that unfolded on Sunday in Xylofagou, where two brothers, aged 10 and 8, from Bulgaria, were found dead inside their father’s car.
The shocking incident has stunned Cyprus and attracted significant attention from international media.
The British Bases Police are gathering witness testimony from local residents, reviewing nearby CCTV footage and examining forensic evidence in an effort to determine exactly how the two children were left unsupervised and how they became trapped inside the vehicle where they were later found dead.
The locked car remains at the centre of the investigation. Authorities are trying to establish why the boys were unable to escape, leading to their deaths, apparently from asphyxiation caused by the high temperatures.
The Dhekelia Court, before which the visibly distressed and exhausted 30-year-old father and his 38-year-old partner appeared yesterday, ordered their detention for three days to facilitate investigations, despite police having requested a four-day remand.
They are being investigated for causing death through a negligent act.
Meanwhile, investigators continue to take statements in an attempt to clarify the sequence of events that led to the deaths of the two boys.
Particular importance is being attached to the statements expected from the father and the children’s stepmother, especially regarding indications that the boys had been left unattended for several hours, despite information suggesting that the father's brother was also living in the same house.
If that information proves accurate, investigators will seek to determine where the children's uncle was during that period and why the boys were not under his supervision.
The uncle is expected to be questioned.
Authorities are also examining reports that a heated argument took place between the father and his brother after the boys were found.
The lead investigator told the court that police have obtained CCTV footage showing the children playing in the area. The footage is currently being reviewed.
He added that around 25 statements will be taken, including one from the children’s mother in Bulgaria, who has been informed of the tragedy by local authorities.
The vehicle itself will undergo detailed examination by experts. Investigators have not ruled out the possibility of a fault in the locking mechanism that may have prevented the children from getting out.
The mobile phones of the two suspects are also being examined.
The Likely Scenario
According to police, the most likely scenario is that the two brothers were playing and at some point entered the vehicle through an unlocked door.
They then apparently locked themselves inside and were unable to get out because they were unfamiliar with the vehicle.
The boys had arrived in Cyprus in mid-May to spend their holidays with their father.
According to witness testimony gathered so far, the father, who lives permanently in Cyprus, left for work early on Sunday morning and his partner left shortly afterwards.
At some point, under circumstances still under investigation, the boys entered their father’s car, which was parked in a field next to the apartment block where they were staying.
Investigators are trying to determine how they became locked inside and why they were unable to exit, resulting in them remaining inside the vehicle for several hours.
Burn marks were reportedly found on their bodies, likely as a result of prolonged exposure to the sun.
The British Bases Police were alerted by the boys’ stepmother after she returned home from work and found them unconscious inside the locked vehicle.
Because the father had the vehicle’s keys with him, the windows had to be smashed in order to remove the children.
Paramedics attempted to revive them but were unsuccessful.
A forensic pathologist examined the scene, while the father was informed of the tragedy by his employer.
Post-mortem examinations will determine the exact causes of death.
What the Building Owner Said
The owner of the apartment block where the father lives, Andreas Mouzouris, confirmed in television statements reports that he did not want children living in the complex.
He said he was concerned about the high volume of vehicle traffic and feared that an accident could occur.
According to Mouzouris, there was a clear agreement with the father regarding the children, but that agreement had not been respected in recent months.
He claimed that the boys were left alone in the apartment on a daily basis.
He further alleged that they moved around unsupervised in communal areas, played in the courtyard and often reached the roadside, describing them as energetic children.
Mouzouris also said that he saw the boys outside the complex on Sunday morning and spoke with them in Bulgarian.
According to him, he asked whether they were well and they replied that they were.
International Reaction
The deaths of the two boys in Xylofagou have received extensive coverage in Bulgarian and British media.
Foreign outlets have described the incident as a tragedy that has deeply shocked public opinion.
The case dominated news coverage in Bulgaria on Monday, with television channels and news websites providing continuous updates on the investigation.
British media also reported extensively on the case because Xylofagou falls under the jurisdiction of the British Bases of Dhekelia and the investigation is being conducted by the Bases Police.
