Coroners’ report shoots down initial assertion that dead Syrian infant was sexually abused

An official report by coroners on Tuesday has revised the assertion on Monday that the 11-month-old infant from Syria that was proclaimed dead at Pedon childrens’ hospital in Athens on Sunday had been sexually abused.

The initial assertion of sexual abuse had been made on Monday by one of the coroners that performed the autopsy on the infant. However, police said on Tuesday that the official report submitted on Tuesday makes no reference to sexual abuse.

Rather it notes that intrusions were observed made by blunt objects, which police say are consistent with treatment given to the infant due to the frequent seizures it suffered from because of microcephaly.

The cause of the infant's death was not ascertained by the autopsy, the report said, adding that more laboratory tests are expected to shed light on the specific case. 

The infant was brought to the hospital by her father on Sunday morning with no signs of pulse or breath, according to the hospital’s press release. Doctors’ efforts to revive the baby were unsuccessful.

Police said the 11-month-old was living with her parents, two Syrian nationals, in a rented apartment in the Zografou area in central Athens, paid for by a program supporting refugees. A second couple of Syrian nationals had also been living with the family the past few days.

The two Syrian men who were initially detained and questioned were released on Tuesday after the coroners’ report was issued.