The mother of the late national guardsman Thanasis Nicolaou has published a statement on social media, claiming fresh scientific evidence points to strangulation as the cause of her son’s death.
In her post, Andriana Nicolaou said she was sharing parts of forensic reports by independent experts abroad, which, according to her, had not been made public before.
She stated that these reports were based on an exhumation of Thanasis’ body and further scientific examination, including a detailed analysis of the hyoid bone.
One of the reports was prepared by Koutsaftis, who led the exhumation. His conclusions came after the exhumation and a study of the anthropologist’s findings.
Another report was issued by Karayianni, who analysed the hyoid bone, a small neck bone often linked to cases of strangulation.
Nicolaou said she might publish the full reports if advised to do so by her legal team. She said the evidence was clear and strongly contradicted earlier claims that Thanasis had died by suicide.
In her post, she referred to a final photo of her son, saying it showed visible signs of strangulation.
She claimed Thanasis died from suffocation caused by pressure to the neck and that his body also had internal fractures caused by blunt force, without external injuries.
Nicolaou also rejected the theory that her son drowned in a river. She said his wallet and glasses were found beside him, untouched, which she believes would not have been possible if water had been flowing.
She questioned why there was sand in his mouth if, as previously claimed, the water level had dropped later.
“These lies are unacceptable,” she wrote.
“The signs of violence are visible and undeniable.”
The death of Thanasis Nicolaou in 2005 was initially ruled a suicide, but the case was reopened in recent years after strong pressure from his family. The attorney-general George Savvides ordered a fresh investigation, including the exhumation and examination abroad.
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