Disturbing Discovery: Remains of Missing Mother and Child Found in Freezers in Austria
The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.
Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.
Speaking to the media previously, a representative for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being detained on "serious suspicion of murder".
The identities of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in following national regulations.
Their going missing was first reported by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Investigators stated the male associate told them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used overseas repeatedly.
Yet when investigators searched the woman's home, her cellphone was found.
An individual also stated listening to a commotion in the apartment, and screams of "mum" on the date the two were believed to have vanished.
A broader official inquiry was launched, with officers discovering several texts originating from the woman's phone—including a resignation letter to her workplace and texts to the male colleague.
Authorities said a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.
Katja Tersch stated to the press on recently that a storage unit had been secured before the vanishing and a freezer had been installed within.
The male siblings removed the appliance from the storage space on the very day the mother and daughter disappeared, the official revealed. And a shortly afterward, they obtained a second unit.
Officials say they consider this points to the demise were planned in advance.
"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the remains," she commented.
Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the victims were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.
While the suspects were detained in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old confessed to an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any plan to cause death, officials confirmed.
Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed involvement in a killing.
The pair are currently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".
"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are female," they added.
"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."
