A mother whose twins were murdered by their father has launched the first dedicated support center for parents who lose children to abusive partners.
Julia Engelhorn, 40, who now lives in Surrey, lost her “angelic” three-year-old children, Maximo and Octavia, in 2017 after they were reportedly drugged and suffocated while in the care of her late ex-husband in Cape Town.
She found them both dead in their beds after what she describes as a sick act of post-divorce revenge.
His father, Mario-César Deus Yela (all-corr), 49, a Spanish dentist, was arrested but took his own life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019. He reportedly denied the charges and told officers that “he didn’t remember.” What happened.
Julia said South African police did not point her to any victim support group or therapist who could help her process her grief. She has now launched her own website called PreciousScars.org in an attempt to fill that “information gap.”
Julia Engelhorn (pictured), 40, lost her twins in 2017 after they were allegedly murdered by their father Mario-César Deus Yela.
Julia has since rebuilt her life thanks to the “unwavering” support of friends and family. However, she believes coping with the tragedy was made more difficult due to the lack of online resources.
Their website aims to fill the gap by helping people escape domestic abuse and cope with its effects practically and emotionally.
It is designed for parents, family members and carers whose children have died from (or may be at risk of) serious violent crimes at the hands of a close relative.
The site has dozens of informative and instructional articles on topics ranging from the criminal justice system and dealing with the media to more sensitive topics such as planning funeral arrangements and the identification process.
The repository also explains how to detect potentially dangerous partners and how to flee the family home in the event of an imminent physical threat.
The content, written by Julia herself, is free to access and includes links to victim support agencies, grief counsellors, helplines and national charities. It is believed to be the first and only support center of its kind in the world.
Julia, an artist and qigong teacher, hopes the site will spare others the anguish she experienced from “not knowing what to do or how to feel” and help families begin to rebuild their lives.
Máximo and Octavia (pictured) died in 2017 after they were allegedly drugged and suffocated while in the care of their father in Cape Town.
Julia has described the tragedy as a sick act of post-divorce revenge after her divorce from Mario two years before Máximo and Octavia’s deaths.
Julia, originally from Cape Town, has since moved to Surrey with her current husband, Iiro Seppänen (right).
She plans to update it as often as possible with new articles and is inviting others with experience in interrelated violent crime to contribute.
She said: ‘When I lost my babies, suddenly my world fell apart. The depth of my pain was overwhelming, but it was compounded by the uncertainties, which only increased my stress and pain.
‘Like most people, everything I knew about the police system and murder cases came from television. I had no real idea what was going to happen and how much I would get involved.
“If I had known what to expect then, while what happened would have been no less heartbreaking, I could have at least prepared myself emotionally for having to identify my children’s bodies and deal with the police.
‘And if I had better understood the grieving process, I would have been better equipped to navigate my healing journey and recognize when I needed additional support.
Mario, Máximo and Octavia’s father, had traveled from Spain to take care of them. But when Julia went to pick them up, she found them dead in her beds.
Mario had traveled from Spain to Cape Town and rented an apartment so he could take care of Máximo and Octavia during the Easter holidays.
‘Although it may seem unthinkable when tragedy strikes, over time you can rebuild your life and look to the future again.
‘I am living proof of this and it is a message of hope that all parents who have lost a child to violence should hear.
“A support site like PreciousScars would then have been a blessing to me in the weeks and months following the loss of my twins, and my only wish is that it gave other grieving parents the guidance and support I would have wanted “. You had to help me.’
Julia’s ordeal took place in early April 2017 when she was living in Cape Town, South Africa.
In her 2023 memoir, also titled Precious Scars, she says that her ex-husband, Mario, whom she had divorced two years earlier after the breakdown of their marriage, had traveled from Spain to spend the Easter holidays with their children and had rented an apartment. nearby.
On the afternoon of April 6, Máximo and Octavia’s 6-foot-4 father allegedly drugged them before suffocating them in their bedroom.
Julia found her twin babies dead in bed when she went to pick them up. Mario stole a car and escaped from the scene.
Mario was arrested but took his own life in prison while awaiting trial in 2019. He claimed to remember nothing about the incident.
On the afternoon of April 6, the 6ft 4in Spaniard drugged the helpless twins before suffocating them in their bedroom.
When Julia arrived to pick them up as planned, she found the twins dead and, she said, Mario brandishing a knife and threatening to kill her too.
Fortunately, their oldest son, César, who was seven years old at the time, was at school when the incident occurred and was unharmed.
Julia managed to escape by climbing out a four-story window and sliding down a drainpipe to safety.
Mario reportedly stole a car and fled the scene, but was later caught and charged with double murder.
Mario was accused of the double murder of Máximo (pictured) and Octavia shortly after fleeing the scene.
César, Julia and Mario’s eldest son, who was seven years old at the time, was at school when the incident occurred and was unharmed. César, now 14, lives in Surrey with Julia, Iiro and Freya (pictured)
Despite the evidence, Mario denied any wrongdoing and reportedly claimed to remember nothing about the incident.
And in another huge blow to Julia’s family, he took his own life before the trial began. She expected him to serve at least 20 years behind bars.
Julia, who has since remarried, moved to Surrey in 2020, where she lives with her son Cesar, 14, and daughter Freya, four.
Her husband, Iiro Seppänen, who has also written for the website PreciousScars, is a Finnish producer whose credits include Freelancers, a 2012 film starring Robert De Niro, 50 Cent, Forest Whitaker and Vinnie Jones.
Iiro, a former professional base jumper, added: “Julia has faced a long and painful journey of healing, but over time she has found new purpose in helping other victims of violent crime, of which PreciousScars.org marks another important milestone.” .
After a long journey of healing, Julia launched PreciousScars.org to help other victims of violent crimes.
Julia remarried a Finnish film producer named Iiro Seppänen, who has also written for the website PreciousScars.
Iiro said Julia has had a “long” and painful healing journey, but the creation of PreciousScars.org marks an “important milestone.”
Last year, Julia published a candid memoir chronicling her ordeal and revealing how she was able to find happiness again.
It received such a positive response from other grieving parents that Julia decided to create PreciousScars.org in the hopes of helping many more people around the world.
Over time, she plans to make the center a registered charity and expand its remit to cover all forms of parental bereavement.
He added: “If the site helps just one person, then the effort will be worth it.”