A mother who was a full-time carer for her severely disabled young daughter killed them both after being consumed by feelings of intense isolation, a coroner has found.
A Tragic Discovery in Salford
Martina Karos, 40, and her eight-year-old daughter Eleni Edwards were found dead at their home in Salford, Greater Manchester, on 23 September 2024. Police were alerted after Eleni failed to arrive at school that day.
An inquest at Bolton Coroner's Court heard that Karos, a translator, had been struggling with her mental health following the breakdown of a relationship. The relentless demands of caring for Eleni, who was blind and had limited mobility, left her feeling profoundly lonely and socially cut off.
Struggles with Isolation Despite Support
The hearing was told that Karos had confessed to a friend she felt life was not worth living and had at times become emotionally distant from her daughter, whom she affectionately called Laney. Eleni had been placed on a child protection plan by Salford City Council in January 2024, and the pair received extensive support.
This support package included daily carer visits, social worker involvement, short and medium-term respite care, as well as counselling and psychotherapy. In an effort to combat her isolation, social workers even accompanied Karos to social activities to help her forge new friendships, but she found such efforts difficult.
A close friend told the Guardian that while Karos's small stature made the physical care of Eleni challenging, the core issue was social isolation. "It wasn't just the taking care of her, it was the fact that when she was alone in the house – it was just her and Laney and she was non-verbal – she was just lonely every night and she had nobody," he said.
Coroner's Conclusions and a Preventable Tragedy
Area Coroner for Greater Manchester West, Peter Sigee, concluded the four-day inquest, stating that Karos had taken her own life and that Eleni was unlawfully killed by her mother. He said Karos had deliberately created an environment where both were overcome by carbon monoxide poisoning.
"Despite a high level of good-quality, focused support and care from family, her limited group of friends and professionals... Ms Karos experienced feelings of extreme loneliness and isolation which overwhelmed her," Sigee recorded.
He noted that Karos had denied any thoughts of harming herself or Eleni and there was no objective basis to suspect she would do so. "This tragic incident could not reasonably have been foreseen," the coroner added.
The friend described Karos, who was born in Poland, raised in Italy, and held a linguistics degree, as a "very bright" and good mother who spoke multiple languages. "I just want people to understand that Martina was a great person and just got stuck in a terrible place," he said.
