ATHENS – It what’s believed a suicide pact, the mother and brother of Panagiotis Mavrikos, the scandalized late publisher of the newspaper Akropolis newspaper who died in an accident, drove their car off a pier and drowned despite attempts to save them.

The bodies of Sofia Mavrikou, 76, and Theodoros Mavrikos, 53, were recovered from the vehicle by Coast Guard divers who had gone into the water in the neighborhood of Drapetsona, just north of Piraeus, said Kathimerini. Two family dogs were also in the car, a Mercedes, but one escaped.

Witnesses said the mother was driving and sped up along the pier in a seemingly deliberate act to get the car into the water off the pier and the Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances although the paper said it was told by sources it didn’t identify she had taken sedatives.

The family lawyer Alexis Kougias said she had serious financial problems while her son had chronic psychological issues.

Panagiotis Mavrikos’ was killed in a road accident in 2016 a few months after his release pending trial on charges of extorting huge sums in advertising from state-run companies, including the Athens water company (EYDAP) among others.