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Mom Killed Next To Her Baby Daughter in 'Barbaric' Home Invasion In Greece
Greek authorities have offered a cash reward for information leading to arrests in what they've called a "particularly heinous" crime.
A young mother was tortured and murdered this week in front of her baby after burglars broke into her Athens home.
Caroline Crouch, 20, was found beaten and strangled to death in her attic by Greek authorities. Her 11-month-old daughter, Lydia,, was allegedly "hitting her mother" in an attempt to "wake her up" when police arrived, reports the UK tabloid The Daily Mail.
Crouch’s husband Babis Anagnostopoulos, a 32-year-old helicopter pilot and flight instructor, told police that at least three men in hoodies broke into their house as he and his wife and child slept. He says the robbers bound the couple and demanded to know where they kept their valuables.
“Tell us where the money is, [or] we will kill the baby,” one of the robbers said, according to Anagnostopoulos’ recollection. At some point, Crouch seemingly did point the intruders to where they kept their money; They made off with cash and jewelry worth about $18,250, sources told the local outlet Ta Nea. Investigators believe that the intruders may have been aware that couple had cash on hand before the home invasion.
Police also found the family dog hanging from the home's railing, according to Proto Thema.
“One rarely encounters such barbarity in Greece, in Greek society, even among criminals,” said Michalis Chrisochoidis, the minister responsible for public order. The Washington Post reports that two teams of detectives had been set up to handle the investigation.
Investigators are now putting together sketches of the suspects and are looking for DNA evidence and security camera footage that can assist them in their investigation. The Greek government has offered an unprecedented $365,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to arrests.
“What I and my family and my wife’s family went through, let no one go through it again,” Anagnostopoulos told reporters, according to Proto Thema. Last July he celebrated his wife by calling her an “awesome wife, closest friend, and best mom our daughter could have,” in an Instagram post.
