Boy, 6, drowns in Gialova pool while mother worked in villa; prosecutor halts arrest
A 6-year-old boy drowned in a villa pool in Gialova, Messinia, on Thursday afternoon while his 32-year-old mother cleaned the house. The prosecutor ordered no immediate arrest after the mother went into shock.
What happened
On Thursday afternoon, a 6-year-old boy was found unconscious in the swimming pool of a two-storey villa in Gialova, in the municipality of Pylos-Nestoros, Messinia. The child had accompanied his mother, a 32-year-old woman from Albania, who was working as a cleaner at the property. According to police sources, the child slipped away from her attention while she was on the first floor of the house and, under circumstances still being investigated, fell into the pool. The mother and another Greek woman who was present noticed the boy and immediately called for help.
Rescue attempt and death
An EKAB ambulance arrived at the scene, where paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the child. He was then transported to the Pylos Health Center, where doctors continued revival efforts. Despite the attempts, the boy was pronounced dead at around 4:30 p.m. The time he was first discovered in the pool was approximately 3:15 p.m.
Legal proceedings
The Pylos-Nestoros Police Department has opened a preliminary investigation into the circumstances of the drowning. An autopsy has been ordered. A case file is expected to be compiled on the charge of exposing a minor to danger. However, the public prosecutor instructed that the mother not be arrested for now, due to the severity of her psychological shock. She has been unable to give a statement to officers.
Mother’s condition
The woman remains in a state of shock and cannot believe that her son died in minutes while she was working. Under standard procedure, she is expected to be arrested for child endangerment, but the prosecutor’s order currently halts that step.
