The story began in 2009 with a phone call from Interpol. Officials from the agency contacted the parents of Jean Hanlon (53) to report her disappearance on the Greek island of Crete.
Hanlon’s younger son, Michael Porter, was called by his older brother Robert to tell him the news. Michael said, “I was shocked and said, ‘What do you mean she’s missing?'”
The lives of three brothers in Dumfries, Scotland, were about to change in ways they never imagined.
“I was already thinking the worst,” Michael said. “But I didn’t know what the worst could be.”
Hanlon was supposed to be looking after a special needs child in Crete, but when he didn’t show up on time, everyone was filled with fear.
Michael reminisces, “Mother had one very good quality, she was very loyal. She would give everything to everyone and keep her word.”
At that time he (Michael) lived in Mansfield. And his two brothers Robert and David lived in Dumfries. The three of them flew to the island of Crete.
Michael said, “I wouldn’t say that we three brothers are very emotional. But that moment was very emotional. We just hugged each other and cried, not saying a word. It was the most silent flight of our lives. Because what did we have to say?”
The three brothers were told that the body of a 30-year-old woman had been recovered from a pond in the city of Heraklion. Their mother was in her fifties. So, while they felt sad about another family, they had some hope.
However, they were taken there to confirm whether the body was Hanlon’s or not. Michael saw his mother’s clothes among a pile of clothes. They were instantly recognizable.
Michael’s two brothers, Robert and David, had experience working in hospitals. They were trying to prepare Michael for the horrific scene that lay ahead. Michael said, “I respect the brothers’ efforts. But if the body is his mother’s, this is going to be the last time I see her.”
রোদঝলমলে আবহাওয়া পছন্দ করতেন জিন। ক্রিট দ্বীপে নতুন করে জীবন গড়তে তিনি বড় একটি সিদ্ধান্ত নিয়েছিলেন
Jean loved the sunny weather. He made a big decision to start a new life on the island of Crete.Photo: Screenshot of BBC report
Suspicious injuries
The three brothers were not prepared for what they saw there. “There was no way to touch or hug my mother, and I think that was the hardest part,” Michael said.
The brothers were immediately suspicious. It was reported that their mother had been seen with a man in a cafe in Heraklion the night she disappeared. Hanlon had a blow to the back of her head and other injuries on her body. The three brothers could not believe that these injuries could have been caused by an accident.
Greek authorities initially declared Hanlon’s death an accident. But they (Hanlon’s sons) insisted on re-examining the autopsy report. This took a long time. But within two years, it was known that some of the injuries were consistent with a struggle.
“It makes me so angry to think that if we hadn’t kept fighting, we would never have known about the other injuries (on my mother’s body),” Michael said.
The brothers’ demands for justice were just beginning.