In handcuffs and under tight security, the father and stepmother of the two children, aged 8 and 10, who were found dead and locked inside a vehicle, were brought to the British Bases court; the father and stepmother of the two children, aged 8 and 10, who were found dead and locked inside their father’s vehicle late Sunday afternoon.

The children’s 30-year-old father and their 38-year-old stepmother have been in custody since yesterday as part of the police investigation being conducted to clarify the circumstances of the case.

Furthermore, footage from a closed-circuit camera in the area is expected to shed light on what happened.

The case remains under investigation, while the exact causes of death of the two children are expected to be determined through scientific and forensic examinations.

Late Sunday afternoon, an alarm was raised in Xylofagou when two boys, aged 8 and 10, were found dead inside their father’s vehicle.

The news plunged the local community into mourning, with residents and neighbors who knew the two boys saying they were shocked by the unspeakable tragedy.

Speaking on the Alpha Kalimera show, the father’s cousin—who had come to Cyprus with the children— said that the children had come to spend their summer vacation with their father and no one expected this to happen. As he said, no one noticed anything, while the father and stepmother had gone to work. The car was locked, but one door, as he said, had not been locked; he assumed that the children had gotten into the car and fallen asleep. He didn’t realize what had happened until the police had already arrived at the scene. His father’s brother also lives in the same house; as he told the camera, the brother had gone to the pool at that time.

The Community Leader of Xylofagos, George Ioulianos, speaking on the program, said that the children appeared to have been found by their stepmother on her way home from work, who then alerted the authorities. Ambulances and members of the British Bases Police rushed to the scene, but it was already too late for the two children, as the doctors on duty pronounced them dead at the hospital.

According to the President of the Xylofagou Community Council, the two siblings had recently arrived in Cyprus from Bulgaria to spend their summer vacation with their father, who lives in the village with his wife.

As Mr. Ioulianos reported, on Sunday morning both the children’s father and stepmother had left for work. According to the same reports, the children appeared to be playing outside the house and, under circumstances that are under investigation, they ended up inside the parked vehicle, where they were reportedly locked in and remained for several hours until they were found.

In fact, the vehicle’s windows had to be broken to free the children.

The circumstances surrounding the tragedy, however, remain under investigation. Initial indications point to the possibility of asphyxiation, though there has been no official confirmation of the exact causes of death so far.

Meanwhile, investigators are gathering evidence, taking statements, and examining every possible scenario to determine how the two children came to be trapped inside the vehicle.

Witnesses report that the children were playing outside and at some point were found inside the car.

Meanwhile, another witness statement submitted to the British Bases police authorities states that the homeowner allegedly did not want the children on the property because they were making noise.

An expert was on the scene from the very beginning to investigate the possibility that the children had been locked in the vehicle and were unable to get out.

Meanwhile, the British Bases Police are also investigating reports that the two children may have been left in the vehicle while they were asleep.

On Sunday evening, authorities arrested the father and stepmother of the two children as suspects in the alleged negligence leading to the minors’ deaths. They were subsequently taken to the British Bases in Dhekelia, where questioning is ongoing.

The investigation is in full swing, and authorities are expected to conduct the necessary forensic and scientific examinations, which will shed light on the exact circumstances of the tragedy that has shocked all of Cyprus.

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