Who kidnapped Amaya in The Snow Maiden?

The snow girl is a Spaniard Netflix Thriller based on the book La chica de nieve by Javier Castillo, albeit admittedly with some crucial changes. Here’s a synopsis of the plot from our review:

The plot of The snow girl follows the disappearance of five-year-old Amaya Martin from the annual Parade of the Kings – or “Three Wise Men” – in Malaga. In the hustle and bustle of the event, she is only briefly separated from her parents, but long enough to be kidnapped by an unknown perpetrator. In the months and eventually years following this disappearance, Amaya’s case is investigated by both the police and the press, most notably by an unusually insistent journalist named Miren (a stoic Milena Smit).

Needless to say, the question of who kidnapped Amaya is absolutely central to the show. It’s not really treated like a crime thriller, however, and the kidnapper’s identity is revealed in the penultimate episode, which goes into detail about their motives.

Who kidnapped Amaya in The Snow Maiden?

Amaya was kidnapped by Iris Molina and her husband Santiago. Iris was a patient of Amaya’s mother at a fertility clinic and was unable to have children of her own. After several unsuccessful attempts, she snagged Amaya on a whim.

Santiago wasn’t keen on taking Amaya, but he was very much in love with his wife and didn’t want to hurt her any more when she was already suffering from not being able to father their own child. Iris and Santiago kept Amaya locked away, and Iris renamed her Julia. She persistently claimed to be Amaya’s mother, denied her access to the outside world and kept her hidden when people came into the house. Over the years, Amaya eventually developed Stockholm Syndrome and began to believe that she was Julia and Iris her mother.

When Santiago died in an accident on the way to confess, Iris only increased Amaya’s isolation. Eventually Miren put the pieces together and discovered what had happened. However, when she showed up at the property, Iris, afraid of losing Amaya, drove away with her and tried to intentionally kill them both in a car accident. Iris was killed in the accident, but Amaya survived.

However, Amaya still believed she was Juliet even after she was reunited with her parents. The show never makes it clear if she’s regaining her original identity or remembering her parents.

So this is the one who kidnapped Amaya in The Snow Girl. Do you have any thoughts on the show as a whole or the identity of the kidnapper? Let us know in the comments below.

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