At around 11.30 in the morning, medical examiners, in the presence of an anthropologist, will carry out the autopsy on half the corpse that was found in a state of advanced decomposition in the area of Agia Thekla in Sotira, which is expected to provide answers about the gender, age, time but and the circumstances of death.
As Christos Andreou, Police Spokesman reported to KYPE, "around two o'clock yesterday afternoon, information was received from a citizen, who went fishing, that he had found a human body in a rocky area near the area of Agia Thekla in Sotira. The scene was immediately cordoned off by members of the Police and from the tests carried out it was established that it was a human corpse, from the waist down and that it was in a state of advanced decomposition.
He added that "precisely because of the advanced decomposition, the Police were unable to ascertain whether the body belonged to a man or a woman. Today at around 11.30 in the morning it is expected to be carried out at the Nicosia General Hospital where the body was transferred, the autopsy ordered by the medical examiners, in the presence of an anthropologist, in order to establish the gender, age and possibly the time of death".
In response to a related question, Mr. Andreou said that "it has not been clarified whether the body was washed out of the sea, however the most serious indications show that this happened. From the first moment, the Port and Maritime Police were informed, whose members began patrols and examinations in the sea area, in order to possibly identify other findings that could help the investigators in the identification of the body and the causes of death".
He also noted that "based on the findings of the autopsy that will be conducted, we expect to clarify whether the body belongs to a man or a woman, the age and the circumstances of death."
Asked whether the body might belong to an illegal immigrant, Mr. Andreou replied that "nothing is ruled out, all possibilities are open. From the indications that exist, the body must probably have washed up from the sea, however, this too will be determined by the tests that will be carried out."
He also noted that "the advanced decomposition in which the body was found and the fact that the body was not complete, certainly makes the work of the medical examiner, the anthropologist and the investigators examining the case difficult."