My angelic twins were drugged and murdered by their father - now I'm supporting others who are going
A mother whose twins were murdered by their father has launched the first dedicated support hub for parents who lose children at the hands of abusive partners.
Julia Engelhorn, 40, who now lives in Surrey, lost her 'angelic' three-year-olds, 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 both dead in their beds following what she describes as a sick act of post-divorce revenge.
Their dad, 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 could 'not remember' what had happened.
Julia said South African police did not point her in the direction of any victim support groups or therapists who could help her in processing her grief. Now, she has launched her own website called PreciousScars.org in a bid to fill that 'informational void'.
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 that coming to terms with the tragedy was made more difficult because of a lack of online resources.
Her website aims to fill the void by helping people escape domestic abuse and deal practically and emotionally with its effects.
It is designed for parents, family members and carers whose children have died through - or who could be at risk of - serious violent crime at the hands of a close relation.
The site has dozens of informational and instructional articles on topics ranging from the criminal justice system and dealing with the media, to more sensitive subjects like planning funeral arrangements and the identification process.
How to spot potentially dangerous partners, and how to flee the family home in case of an imminent physical threat, are also covered in the repository.
The content, which was 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 hub of its kind in the world.
Julia, an artist and qigong teacher, hopes the site will spare others the distress she experienced of 'not knowing what to do or how to feel' and help families to start to rebuild their lives.
Maximo 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 following her divorce from Mario two years before Maximo and Octavia's death
Julia, who is originally from Cape Town, has since relocated 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 of violent interrelationship crime to contribute.
She said: 'When I lost my babies, my world was suddenly pulled from under me. The depth of my grief was overwhelming, but this was made all the worse by the uncertainties, which only added to my stress and pain.
'Like most people, all I'd known about the policing system and murder cases had come from TV. I had no real idea about what was going to happen, and how much would involve me.
'If I'd known what to expect then, while what had happened would have been no less gut-wrenching, I could have at the least prepared myself emotionally for having to identify my children's bodies and deal with the police.
'And if I'd understood the grieving process better, I would have been better equipped to navigate my healing journey and recognise when I needed extra support.
Maximo and Octavia's father Mario had travelled from Spain to care for them. But when Julia went to pick them up, she found them dead in their beds
Mario had travelled from Spain to Cape Town and rented an apartment so he could care for Maximo and Octavia during the Easter holidays
'While it may seem unthinkable when tragedy strikes, in time you can rebuild your life and once again look forward to the future.
'I'm living proof of this and it's a message of hope that all parents who have lost a child through violence need to hear.
'A support site like PreciousScars would, then, have been a godsend to me in the weeks and months after I lost my twins, and my only wish is that it gives other bereaved parents the guidance and support that I'd wished I'd had to help me.'
Julia's unimaginable 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 her ex-husband, Mario - who she had divorced two years previously following the breakdown of their marriage - had travelled from Spain to spend the Easter holidays with their children and had rented an apartment nearby.
On the afternoon of 6 April, Maximo and Octavia's 6ft 4ins father allegedly drugged them before smothering them in their bedroom
Julia found her twin babies dead in bed when she went to collect them. Mario stole a car and escaped the scene
Mario was arrested but took his own life in prison whilst awaiting trial in 2019. He claimed not to remember anything about the incident
On the afternoon of 6th April, the 6ft 4ins Spaniard reportedly drugged the helpless twins before smothering 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.
Thankfully their eldest child, César, then aged seven, was at school when the incident took place and was left unharmed.
Julia managed to escape by clambering out of a four-storey window and shimmying down a drainpipe to safety.
Mario reportedly stole a car and fled the scene but was later snared and charged with double murder.
Mario was charged with a double murder of Maximo (pictured) and Octavia shortly after fleeing the scene
Julia and Mario's oldest child César, then aged seven, was at school when the incident took place and was left unharmed. Now 14, César currently lives in Surrey with Julia, Iiro, and Freya (pictured)
Despite the evidence, Mario denied any wrongdoing and reportedly claimed not to remember anything about the incident.
And in another crushing blow to Julia's family, hetook his own life before the trial started. She had hoped he would serve at least 20 years behind bars.
Julia, who has since remarried, relocated to Surrey in 2020 where she lives with son César, 14, and daughter Freya, four.
Her husband Iiro Seppänen, who has also written for the PreciousScars website, is a Finnish producer whose credits include Freelancers, a 2012 movie 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 healing journey but with time she has found new purpose in helping other victims of violent crime, of which PreciousScars.org marks another major milestone.'
After a long healing journey, Julia launched PreciousScars.org to help other victims of violent crimes
Julia remarried a Finnish film producer called Iiro Seppänen, who has also written for the PreciousScars website
Iiro said that Julia has had a 'long' and painful' healing journey, but the creation of PreciousScars.org marks a 'major milestone'
Last year, Julia released a candid memoir, which recounts her ordeal and reveals how she was able to find happiness again.
It received such a positive response from other bereaved parents that Julia decided to create PreciousScars.org in the hope of helping far more people worldwide.
In time, she plans to turn the hub into a registered charity and expand its remit to cover all forms of parental bereavement.
She added: 'If the site helps just one, single person, then the effort will have been worth it.'
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