Tragic Find: Remains of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezing Units in Austria
The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.
The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.
Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, told law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but disputed homicide.
Addressing journalists previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of homicide".
Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by authorities, in accordance with national regulations.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Police stated the male associate claimed at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to see her family in the nation of Turkey.
The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad several times.
However when officers entered the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.
Someone also stated listening to a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the occasion the two were thought to have disappeared.
An expanded police investigation was launched, with authorities discovering multiple communications sent from the mother's device—among them a job termination message to her employer and messages to the male associate.
Authorities stated a significant cash transfer was also moved to the man.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on that day that a rented space had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.
The two suspects took out the freezer from the unit on the date the woman and her child disappeared, Tersch said. And a seven days after, they obtained a second unit.
Authorities believe they believe this suggests the deaths were planned in advance.
"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the remains," she said.
The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.
Although the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He denies any plan to cause death, authorities confirmed.
At the same time, his brother confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed knowledge of a murder.
The two suspects are currently in custody awaiting trial in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".
"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they continued.
"Gender-based killings are a profoundly embedded and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."
