A 47-year old male inmate who fatally attacked a 44-year-old female patient at the Psychiatric Hospital of Attica in Dafni, western Athens, in the early hours of Wednesday morning could still be hiding somewhere within the hospital premises, a police official has told local media outlet SKAI.
“We cannot rule out the possibility that the perpetrator is still in the hospital after so many hours. Anyone familiar with the area and this particular psychiatric institution knows that it is a large complex with multiple buildings spread out across the surrounding grounds,” Greek Police spokesperson Konstantia Dimoglidou told SKAI.
Police are conducting a search operation both inside and outside the psychiatric institution’s grounds, as it remains unclear whether the perpetrator managed to escape, the police spokesperson said.
She emphasized that, in addition to posing a danger to himself, the missing inmate could also be a threat to others.
The incident occurred around 4 a.m. on Wednesday after an argument between the 47-year old male inmate and the 44-year-old female patient, who had been admitted a day earlier.
The perpetrator allegedly used a piece of broken glass to assault the woman, causing severe injuries. Despite medical efforts, she succumbed to her wounds.
According to sources, the perpetrator was admitted to the psychiatric hospital last November after being charged with the murder of another woman in Corfu in August 2023, also in a psychiatric facility.