Shocking Discovery: Bodies of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezing Units in Austria
The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.
A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed homicide.
Speaking to reporters recently, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".
The identities of those implicated have been withheld by authorities, in following national regulations.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.
Investigators stated the male associate informed them at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.
The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized overseas several times.
However when investigators examined the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.
An individual also claimed hearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and screams of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.
A broader police investigation was initiated, with investigators finding various messages sent from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.
Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also sent to the individual.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on that day that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.
The two suspects took out the freezer from the storage space on the day the victims disappeared, the official stated. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.
Authorities say they think this points to the demise were premeditated.
"How they died could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the victims," the official stated.
Mayr—representing the state—said the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the bodies were carefully placed and were not found during a previous house search.
While the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, officials said.
At the same time, his brother confessed to a concealment but disputed involvement in a homicide.
The brothers are at this time in detention before court proceedings in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.
Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and reveals a heartless setup".
"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are female," they added.
"Femicides are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."
