Mother (b 1985) and son (b 2016) die after fall/jump from the ferry Stena Spirit (Karlskrona Sweden to Gdynia Poland, June 2023)

[Sjöberg]

On the afternoon of the 29th of June, thursday, the ferry Stena Spirit was underway in the Baltic on a voyage from Karlskrona, Sweden to Gdynia, Poland. At about 16.20, the mother and son ended up in the water. (1) They were of Polish nationality. (2)

About 1h later, a rescue helicopter from the Swedish Maritime Administration found the mother and winched the mother aboard. The child was found separately and saved by the ship's crew, who retrieved him with a rescue boat, a Stena spokesperson told local media. They were delivered to a hospital in Karlskrona. (1) Neither of them was conscious at the time. They received CPR on the spot and were then taken to hospital by helicopter, but both tragically passed away on Friday. (4)

The fall was about 65 feet / 20 meters. Initially, the incident was described in newspapers as a heroic act:

"A child who fell 65ft overboard from a passenger ferry - as well the child’s mother who jumped into the water in a desperate attempt to save the seven-year-old - have been airlifted to hospital after being rescued from the Baltic Sea". (2)

However, soon after the tone changed:

"But the Swedish prosecution authority said in a statement on Friday it had initiated a preliminary investigation where the criminal charge is murder, while adding that no suspect had been identified." (3)

These articles still leave the impression, that the investigation was opened simply to clear up the circumstances, as some also mention

"At the moment we have no information whether this was due to a malfunction of the ferry," Stena Line spokesperson Agnieszka Zembrzycka told TVN 24. "We are cooperating with the police and other authorities that are appointed to explain the causes and circumstances of this event.". (3)

One more day later, the story turned even darker:

"The investigation into a mother and son who died after falling from the Stena Spirit passenger ferry took a shocking turn this Saturday, July 1. According to the Polish news outlet BLT, Grażyna Wawryniuk, a spokesperson for the District Prosecutor’s Office in Gdańsk, informed them that they are now pursuing a line involving a suspected murder-suicide incident." (4)

Furthermore, the article states that something was unclear already earlier:

"Late on Thursday evening, Stena Line’s Agnieszka Zembrzycka told the Polish newspaper Fakt that the cause of the accident could not yet be confirmed. ‘We have secured surveillance footage. But that material does not confirm that version, that the child fell overboard and that the adult jumped behind’, she told the outlet." (4)

Some outlets also reported statements from fellow passengers:

It was initially reported that the mother had heroically dived in to save her boy. But eyewitnesses who saw them just moments before have described Paulina's "tired" and "depressed" appearance.

Fellow passenger Beata told Fakt: "“I remember thinking it was unusual to have such a big baby in a stroller , but the boy may have been disabled in some way. She looked tired, depressed. Her body language was so..." (5)

Right now it is hard to understand, where the facts are at. A lot of the news are probably on Polish and/or Swedish sites.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Such a tragedy, Sjöberg. Earlier I saw an article on SM that made it sound like an accident and mother who saved her child. Nothing else was being reported there yet. What a very very sad outcome.

 

[LadyL]

if she threw him in the water ... I can't say what I would like to

 

[Sjöberg]

Such a tragedy, Sjöberg. Earlier I saw an article on SM that made it sound like an accident and mother who saved her child. Nothing else was being reported there yet. What a very very sad outcome.

I was in two minds about posting, as I thought it might be the media stirring up stuff - I, too, was used to the initial narrative. But the reference to the CCTV does not sound good. If they had surviving family members, it's such a horrible situation to be in.

 

[nhmemorymaker]

I was in two minds about posting, as I thought it might be the media stirring up stuff - I, too, was used to the initial narrative. But the reference to the CCTV does not sound good. If they had surviving family members, it's such a horrible situation to be in.

@Sjöberg , please keep us informed. Thank you....

 

[Sjöberg]

The background seems to be that both parents had their paternal right limited before, the father walked away and the mother, while initially improving and doing better, was recently seen to be struggling.

This is Google translated from a Polish paper:

Paulina and her partner had limited parental rights shortly after the birth of their son Lech – the journalists of "Fact" found out. The reason was child neglect. The situation was so serious that a probation officer was assigned to the family. This information is confirmed in an interview with the newspaper by Judge Łukasz Zioła, spokesman for civil matters of the District Court in Gdańsk.
– By decision of November 27, 2018, the District Court in Gdynia limited parental authority over a minor by subjecting its exercise to the supervision of a probation officer due to irregularities in caring for the child, he said.
Soon after, my father went abroad and lost interest in the family. Under the care of curator Paulin Sz. however, she improved the way she cared for the child.
– In the course of supervision, the situation improved, and the mother provided the child with the necessary care and support, and took steps to improve her housing and living conditions.
---
Finally, in February 2023, the kindergarten and the Municipal Social Welfare Center convened an interdisciplinary team that decided to include Paulina Sz. help. The family court was also notified of this situation. The findings of "Fact" also show that the social worker tried to contact the woman many times, but she was never at the given address.

 

[ChatteringBirds]

Original thoughts DBM.

It's sad if the mother was left on her own to care for a special-needs child. IMO it sounds like she may have suffered from severe depression at times. People shouldn't have to go-it-alone parenting a child with great needs but of course it happens all the time. BUT - there are multiple choices regarding what you can do if it becomes too much.