Eleven days after the frantic search for the 75-year-old woman who had gone missing in the Kampos area of Tsakkistra, a body was found early Thursday morning on the edge of the Paphos State Forest. The body appears to be that of the unfortunate Erato Athanasiou, who had been missing since the morning of Sunday, August 23.
Following the tragic conclusion of the search efforts, members of the volunteer organizations that participated in the multi-day search to locate the elderly woman paid their respects to her through posts on social media.
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As reported by Alpha’s correspondent in Paphos, Costas Nanos, her clothing has been identified by her relatives; however, her scientific identification via DNA has not yet been completed.
The unfortunate woman was found by a forest ranger on a forest road in the Paphos State Forest, 15 km from the spot where she had last been seen.
Police and a medical examiner were called to the scene to rule out the possibility of foul play, and DNA tests are expected to be completed for her official identification.
Members of the “Zeus” Volunteer Group are deeply moved, noting, among other things, that in recent days—even though they had not had the chance to meet Ms. Erato in person—she had become one of their own.
“From the moment we learned of your disappearance, our thoughts were constantly with you. We searched for you anxiously and prayed that we would find you somewhere, that you would be safe, and that you would return to the people who love you. Every time we set out on a search, we held onto hope. We hoped until the very last moment that our search would have a different, happy ending. That we would find you alive and be able to bring you back into your family’s arms. Unfortunately, the outcome was not what we expected and for which we had all been praying. The news of your passing has filled us with deep sorrow. Although we never met you, our concern for your well-being brought us closer to you. Your face and your smile will remain in the memories of all those who searched for you and believed until the very end that they would find you. Today we are not simply saying goodbye to a woman we were searching for. We are saying goodbye to Mrs. Erato, a person who, without knowing it, touched our hearts and, for a few days, became part of our thoughts, our anxiety, and our prayers.”
The Volunteer Emergency Response Unit (VEREU), for its part, reflected on the difficult days that had preceded this, bidding farewell to “Mrs. Toulla,” who will remain unforgettable to everyone.
“Perhaps to some, you were just a face they recognized from a photograph and a plea for help. For us, however, those eight difficult days made you so much more. You became one of us. Some of us had the honor of knowing you personally. We knew your smile, your character, your presence. For the rest of us, who came to know you through the search, you became a face we carried every day in our hearts and minds. Every morning we began with the same thought: “Today we’ll find her.” Every night, despite our exhaustion, we held onto the same hope: that the next day would bring us the joy of your return.
We weren’t just looking for a missing person. We were looking for a mother, a relative, a friend—a person whom some loved and were waiting to have back in their lives. And as the days went by, we grew even closer to you.”
READ ALSO: “Our beloved Toulla… you became one of us”: Mourning for 75-year-old Erato; volunteers are deeply moved | AlphaNews
