‘Extremely lonely’ mum killed disabled daughter, 8, earlier than taking her personal life
Martina Karos, 40, and her disabled daughter Eleni Edwards, 8, were found dead at their home in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2024 after Eleni failed to attend school
Martina Karos and Eleni Edwards were found dead(Image: Todd Fitzgerald)
A mother tragically ended the life of her disabled child before taking her own, a coroner has ruled. The bodies of Martina Karos, 40, and eight year old Eleni Edwards were found at their home in Kersal, Salford, on Monday, September 23, 2024.
Emergency services were called after concerns were raised when Eleni failed to show up for school. They arrived and forced entry into the house on South Radford Street where they discovered both bodies in the same bedroom.
Their deaths were confirmed at the scene by paramedics. Pathologists later determined that they died as a result of carbon monoxide toxicity. Inquests into their deaths have been held simultaneously at Bolton Coroners’ Court this week.
After three days of evidence, area coroner Peter Sigee has concluded that Ms Karos committed suicide, and that Eleni was unlawfully killed, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Delivering his conclusion today (Thursday, January 15) he said: “Ms Karos had deliberately placed herself and her daughter in an environment where they were overcome by the toxic effects of carbon monoxide with the intention and effect of ending both their lives. Ms Karos was the sole parental carer for her eight-year-old daughter, who had profound physical and mental disabilities, which had become apparent within months of her birth.
“Her daughter was a happy child who was very much loved and very well cared for by Ms Karos throughout her life. Despite a high level of good quality, focused support and care from family, her limited group of friends and professionals (including GP, specialist mental health services, social workers and carers) Ms Karos experienced feelings of extreme loneliness and isolation which overwhelmed her.”
The coroner also informed the court during today’s final hearing that he would not be issuing a prevention of future deaths report, which can be issued to individuals, organisations, local authorities or government departments and their agencies where the coroner believes action should be taken to prevent further deaths.
The coroner stated that he could not identify any shortcoming in the care and support provided to Ms Karos and her daughter, nor any matter relating to that care which could have contributed to their deaths.
“Ms Karos decided to end her life by suicide,” Mr Sigee’s conclusion continued. “She was concerned as to the care and support that her daughter would receive after her death and so decided to end her daughter’s life at the same time as her own.
“Ms Karos had continuously denied any thoughts of harming herself or her daughter in the period prior to her death, there was no objective basis to suspect that Ms Karos was contemplating/at increased risk of acting as she did at this time and this tragic incident could not reasonably have been foreseen.”
The inquests revealed that Eleni, who was diagnosed with several conditions leaving her ‘severely disabled’ at just a few months old, was blind, non-verbal and had significantly limited mobility. Her mother, Martina, took on the role of her full-time carer.
The hearing learned that Martina, a linguist and translator born in Poland who lived in Italy before relocating to the UK in 2003, had been receiving treatment for symptoms of anxiety and depression for several years prior to the tragic events. She had been prescribed anti-depressants and often reported feeling ‘socially isolated’ and ‘lonely’ due to her caregiving responsibilities.
Martina’s family noted a ‘rapid decline’ in her mental health towards the end of 2023 when she began expressing suicidal thoughts. In January 2024, Eleni was placed under a child protection plan due to a perceived risk of ’emotional harm’ from the ‘unintended impacts’ of Martina’s low mood.
At the time of their deaths, Eleni was still under the plan, but a case conference to review it was scheduled for the day they were discovered.
By the summer and early autumn of 2024, Martina had made ‘good progress’, and her mental health was believed to have improved. Her GP described her as ‘stable’ and stated that she had denied any suicidal thoughts.
None of the professionals involved with Martina or Eleni raised any immediate concerns about them around the time of their tragic passing. Legal representatives stated that it couldn’t be argued that these professionals had ’caused or contributed’ to their untimely deaths.
