Greek shipping heiress dies in London after insect bite care questioned

A member of one of Greece's most prominent shipping families was found dead in her London flat on September 11 after seeking treatment for what her family says began as an insect bite, relatives and Greek media said. Marissa Laimou, whose age was reported as 28 by most accounts though some outlets gave 30, was discovered by her housekeeper after deteriorating over several days with fever, dizziness, intense itching and other signs of infection, her mother, Bessy, told reporters.

Family members said Laimou first fell ill around September 8 or 9 and a doctor who visited her home prescribed paracetamol. When her condition did not improve she saw her oncologist, who arranged for her to be taken by ambulance to a London hospital. Relatives say she was assessed by nursing staff, was not admitted, and was discharged in the early evening with antibiotics and a diagnosis that referred to an insect bite. She was found dead at home the following morning, the family said.

Laimou's mother told Greek media she believed toxic shock caused by an insect bite had killed her daughter. "My daughter had survived cancer and died from an insect," Bessy Laimou said, adding that her daughter had been...