British Children Dead, Parents in Coma after Poisoning in Greece (UPDATED)
[UPDATED: It looks like police are treating this as an accident. Also, the woman found was not the child's mother, as a commenter notes, but the "companion" of the father.]
What the FUCK is going on here?! Is Greece suddenly the new hot spot for suicidal parents? First we have John Hogan, the English dad who lept from the window of a Crete hotel – and took his two kids along with him for the ride. Now, it looks like Neil Shephard and Ruth Emy of Wakefield are in the same boat. The two parents were found comatose, and their six-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl dead, in a hotel on the island of Corfu.
It appears there’s a possibility that what’s at play here is one of the world’s worst cases of food poisoning. That doesn’t look likely, however, as the hotel says no other guestshave succumbed. The agent appears to be a “powerful poison”, which the adults are so far surviving due to their stronger immunity. Police are leaning heavily towards suicide, but won’t confirm it until they wrap up their investigation. I’ll have more details as they come available. It’s a tragedy no matter how it turns out. Sadly, it appears to be yet another case of villainy stacked upon tragedy.
October 29th, 2006 at 12:57 am
Looks like it was carbon monoxide poisoning. The hotel manager is being charged with manslaughter.
Jesus. What an awful, preventable tragedy.
October 27th, 2006 at 2:34 pm
Thanks, silverside.
Looks like this is being described as an accident now. I’ve updated the story appropriately. The poor family.
October 27th, 2006 at 9:37 am
Not parents per se. Father and stepmother. Mom back in Britain is reportedly devastated.