Cypriot Army officer Nicos Metaxas, 35, has killed at least seven women in the island nation creating a huge stir among the police, and resulting in the resignation of the country’s Justice Minister Ionas Nicolaou on the grounds of “political responsibility” for the case.
The killer targetted foreign women who came to Cyprus for work, and whom he met on social media networks. Though he has admitted to killing seven, the authorities have reopened missing persons investigations and have a list of 22 names of women presumed to have left the country but had been reported as unaccounted for.
His own mother was a foreign woman, a Bulgarian woman from Stara Zagora. His parents had divorced 12 years ago.
He himself was also separated from his wife, but is not divorced, and has two children. By all accounts he is a responsible father.
His hobbies include photography and he has had exhibitions featuring his work, and has participated on TV shows. Photographic images of the mines where he dumped the women were among his belongings.
His motives for the crimes still remain unknown. The police are not aware whether he targeted foreign women for a specific reason or because he considered them easy hits.
The murders have cast the spotlight on the conditions of foreign workers in Cyprus, with the BBC publishing a scathing report on the abuse of migrant women.