Shocking findings are coming to light regarding the death of 87-year-old Eleni Papadopoulou in Kolonaki, as police reexamine the case initially considered an accident. The widow of former PASOK minister and plastic surgeon Giannis Papadopoulos was found charred in her apartment on Lycabettus Street in January 2022, but new evidence dramatically changes the case’s complexion.
Read: Kolonaki: The charred elderly woman was the wife of a former PASOK minister
Minister’s widow death in Kolonaki: Homicide department takes over investigation
The case of the “Kolonaki aristocrat’s” death is now under the microscope of the Homicide Department. Athens Prosecutor’s Office ordered investigation into possible criminal activity, forwarding the case file to competent authorities.
Initially, everyone believed the fire was caused by a lit cigarette the elderly woman was holding. However, examination findings revealed a completely different truth that shocks.
Forensic findings overturn the scenario
Toxicological and forensic examinations brought chilling evidence to the surface. Forensic pathologist Grigoris Leon announced that the victim’s blood carbon monoxide level was only 5%, very close to normal values. For comparison, 20% levels cause poisoning symptoms, while 50-60% percentages lead to death. This means the woman was not alive when the fire broke out in Kolonaki.
Evidence of arson with flammable liquid
The investigation revealed shocking evidence from the autopsy and Fire Department report pointing to arson using flammable liquid. According to findings, someone doused the unfortunate woman with flammable substance, soaked the couch where she was sitting, and started the fire. Retired Fire Service Brigadier General Nikolaos Diamantis confirmed it was “most likely arson to cover up” a crime. Based on photographic material, the room developed intense fire with extremely high temperatures that would be impossible to achieve without an accelerant.
The mystery of the property’s value
Interesting is the fact that the Kolonaki apartment was put up for sale shortly before the owner’s death for 750,000 euros. Today, the same property appears on real estate websites priced at nearly 2 million euros.
The son’s testimony
The victim’s son, informed by the “Light in the Tunnel” show about the investigation’s restart, described in detail the moments of that tragic day. “When I arrived, nothing was visible. Only a little smoke was coming from the building. As soon as I opened the front door, the fire flared up. All windows were completely closed,” he described emotionally. According to his testimony, firefighters told him the fire had started hours earlier and was “smoldering” inside the apartment. “The walls had all turned black. It was a tragic scene that I’ve left as it was then,” he added.
His mother was sitting on her favorite couch in the small living room, where she always sat. “I wish no one ever sees their own person like that, the way I saw my mother,” he concluded sadly. The case that seems taken from a crime novel continues to occupy authorities, as new findings shed light on dark points of a death initially considered an accident.
