Tragic Find: Remains of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezers in the Alpine Nation
The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.
The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were concealed 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 the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but rejected murder.
Informing the media recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".
The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by authorities, in accordance with Austrian law.
Their going missing was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Investigators revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.
However when investigators examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.
A witness also stated hearing a commotion in the dwelling, and cries of "mama" on the day the pair were believed to have vanished.
A broader criminal probe was started, with authorities discovering multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a job termination message to her company and texts to the male colleague.
Authorities stated a amount in the thousands was also sent to the suspect.
Katja Tersch told reporters on Tuesday that a storage unit had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been placed there.
The male siblings removed the freezer from the facility on the date the mother and daughter disappeared, she revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired a second unit.
Authorities say they consider this suggests the fatalities were premeditated.
"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the bodies," she commented.
Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a prior examination.
While the men were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, authorities confirmed.
At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a concealment but disputed involvement in a homicide.
The pair are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a heartless setup".
"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they went on to say.
"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."
