Mum's devastating letter after girls 'killed and dumped off boat by dad'
The mother of two sisters who were allegedly killed and dumped at sea has revealed the one simple act she wanted most in the wake of their deaths.
Olivia Gimeno Zimmermann, 6, and her one-year-old sister, Anna, were allegedly taken by their father Tomas Gimeno on the Spanish island of Tenerife on April 27.
A body was then found last week in a bag tied to an anchor at a depth of 1000 metres near the Canary Islands, which coroners confirmed belonged to Olivia.
A similar bag was found empty nearby, but the body of Anna has not yet been found.
Following the devastating news, the girls' mother, Beatriz Zimmermann, shared an open letter on Instagram detailing her heartache over the loss.
She said despite feeling hatred, hopelessness and pain, she did not want their deaths to bring more suffering to the world.
"May it transcend in love for children in the form of protection, education and respect," Ms Zimmermann said.
Mother yearns for simple act
The mother added people should appreciate the simple things and revealed the small act she wished she could do for her children.
"Many parents now look at their children in a different way and value much more love and daily moments of simple things," she said.
"That wonderful day to day that I do so much missed.
"What I would give to comb their hair... that simple act right now is the most [I] want."
Ms Zimmermann said her daughters taught the world a "great lesson" at the cost of their lives.
"I, being your mother, I will fight against these injustices and the welfare of children. For them and for all the children," she said.
The mother said her daughters were full of love and she told them she loved them every day.
"I wish I'd been there at that time and [died] together," she said.
"When they told me the news, the world came over me, and as hard as it is, now I can mourn their loss and feel them by my side at every moment; feel them when I wake up, when I have breakfast, all day, until I lie down.
"They will have died in body, but their soul is with us all forever, helping to have more awareness, love and respect of us."
Police hunt for suspect
Gimeno, who is also missing, is the main suspect in the deaths of the girls after he failed to return them to their mother as agreed at the end of April.
A court issued an international warrant earlier this month for his arrest on suspicion of two counts of aggravated homicide and one of domestic violence.
The court document claimed he killed the children at his house in Tenerife and allegedly took their bodies in his car to his boat, and dumped them both overboard wrapped in towels and placed in sports bags about 10.30pm (local time) on April 27.
"The plan of the accused was to cause his ex-partner the greatest pain she could imagine, by deliberately causing uncertainty about the fate that Olivia and Anna had suffered at his hands," the court document said.
Olivia's body was found last week in the sports bag weighted by an anchor near where her father's boat was found drifting.
A second sports bag found at the scene was empty, a court statement said.
After disposing of his daughters' remains, Gimeno returned to port in his boat but was stopped by a police patrol boat for breaking a coronavirus curfew, investigators said.
He left the port in his boat again after midnight on April 28 and has not been seen, they said.
An autopsy found Olivia died from pulmonary oedema, according to the Canary Islands Superior Court.
With Reuters
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