Disturbing Find: Bodies of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezing Units in the Alpine Nation
The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an apartment in western Austria.
The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.
A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected intentional killing.
Speaking to journalists previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities stated the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".
The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with local legislation.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.
Investigators revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.
However when investigators examined the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.
A witness also stated listening to a disturbing sound in the dwelling, and cries of "mum" on the day the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.
A wider police investigation was initiated, with authorities finding multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a resignation letter to her employer and messages to the male associate.
Authorities confirmed a significant cash transfer was also moved to the suspect.
Katja Tersch informed reporters on recently that a storage facility had been leased before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.
The brothers removed the cooling unit from the storage space on the day the victims disappeared, she stated. And a seven days after, they purchased another freezer.
Investigators state they consider this suggests the demise were premeditated.
"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the bodies," the official commented.
Mayr—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the victims were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a earlier inspection.
While the suspects were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the elder brother confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any murderous intent, authorities stated.
In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but denied awareness of a homicide.
The pair are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.
In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and exposes a cruel system".
"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they continued.
"Femicides are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."
