A neighbor testing a new baby monitor accidentally picked up a signal from next door. What he saw on the screen led police to uncover one of the most disturbing child abuse cases in Czech history.
In May 2007, police in Kuřim, a small town near Brno in the Czech Republic, discovered that two young brothers had been subjected to prolonged, severe abuse inside their own home — carried out by their mother, their aunt, and a third woman who had spent months living with the family under a false identity as a 13-year-old girl.
The Family
Klara Mauerová had two sons, Ondřej and Jakub, born a few years apart. After the boys' father left the relationship, Klara and her sons moved in with her sister, Katerina. The sisters later became close with a woman named Barbora Škrlová, an accomplished classical musician then in her early 30s. Škrlová had a rare glandular condition that made her appear years younger than her actual age, something she had a documented history of using to pose as a minor and avoid legal consequences in earlier incidents.
Škrlová arrived in the Czech Republic presenting herself as a 13-year-old girl named “Anička,” and the family accepted her into their household under that false identity.
What Was Discovered
Over roughly a year, Ondřej and Jakub were subjected to severe, sustained physical abuse inside the home, including being confined for extended periods, physically assaulted, and deprived of basic care. A Czech court later described the abuse as amounting to “the deliberate destruction of a child's soul.” Prosecutors also established that on at least one occasion, the boys were made to consume small amounts of their own flesh as part of the abuse — a detail confirmed in court but one we won't describe in further graphic terms here, given the age of the victims.
The abuse came to light in May 2007 when a neighbor testing a wireless baby monitor picked up video from the Mauerová household showing one of the boys bound and alone. He contacted police, who arrived at the home and took both boys into protective custody, along with the girl identifying herself as their sister, “Anička.”
An Adult in Disguise
It was only after the boys were removed from the home that authorities discovered “Anička” wasn't a 13-year-old girl at all, but Barbora Škrlová. Before she could be formally charged, she fled the Czech Republic. She briefly resurfaced in Denmark, admitting to Czech embassy officials that she had posed as “Anička,” before disappearing again. She was ultimately located and arrested in Norway in January 2008 — this time living under yet another false identity, as a 13-year-old boy named Adam, enrolled in a local school.
Trial
Škrlová was extradited back to the Czech Republic in early 2008. She initially claimed she, too, had been a victim of the abuse rather than a participant in it. The court rejected that account, finding she had actively conspired with Katerina Mauerová — identified by the court as the one who initiated the abuse — and had personally taken part in it.
In October 2008, a court in Brno convicted Klara Mauerová, Katerina Mauerová, and Barbora Škrlová, along with three other associates connected to the case. The judge noted indications of a cult-like belief system among some of those involved but said there wasn't sufficient proof to establish it as an organized group.
Sentencing and Appeal
Reported sentencing figures for this case vary somewhat across sources, but the most detailed available reporting indicates that on appeal, the Czech Supreme Court in 2009 revised the original sentences, ordering that Klara Mauerová and Katerina Mauerová be held in psychiatric institutions rather than standard prison, tied to findings about their mental state. Barbora Škrlová was reportedly committed to a forensic psychiatric facility for treatment.
Some reporting on this case states that all three women were eventually paroled; more recent, detailed accounts indicate Škrlová specifically remains institutionalized with no confirmed release date. Given this inconsistency across available sources, we're presenting it with that caveat rather than as settled fact.
Where the Boys Are Now
Ondřej and Jakub were placed in the custody of their biological father following the case and have since been reported to be living privately as adults, having inherited the family home. Their identities have otherwise remained largely protected from public reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Kuřim case a true story?
Yes. It's extensively documented by Czech courts, international news coverage, and the Casefile true crime podcast, among other sources.
How was the abuse discovered?
A neighbor's baby monitor accidentally picked up video signal from the house, showing one of the boys bound. He alerted police, who intervened.
Who was Barbora Škrlová?
An adult woman with a rare condition that made her appear much younger than her actual age, who used a false identity as a 13-year-old girl to become part of the family, later fleeing and disguising herself as a teenage boy before her capture.
Are the perpetrators still incarcerated?
Reports on this vary. Detailed recent sourcing indicates Barbora Škrlová remains institutionalized in a psychiatric facility; the current status of the Mauerová sisters is less consistently reported.