Shocking Discovery: Remains of Missing Mother and Child Found in Freezers in the Alpine Nation
The remains of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, situated in the city of Innsbruck.
Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but rejected murder.
Addressing the media previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities said the brothers were being held on "serious suspicion of murder".
The names of those concerned have not been released by law enforcement, in accordance with Austrian law.
The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the cousin of the mother, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Investigators stated the male associate claimed at the time she had taken an long journey with her child 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.
But when investigators entered the woman's home, her cellphone was found.
Someone also stated overhearing a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mama" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.
An expanded official inquiry was launched, with authorities discovering several texts transmitted via the mother's device—including a job termination message to her workplace and communications to the male associate.
Authorities said a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.
Katja Tersch stated to reporters on Tuesday that a storage facility had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been placed there.
The brothers took out the freezer from the storage space on the date the woman and her child went missing, the official said. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.
Investigators believe they think this suggests the demise were intentionally orchestrated.
"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," Tersch said.
The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the remains were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a previous house search.
Although the suspects were taken into custody in June, it was only on the 12th of November that the elder brother confessed to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, authorities stated.
In a related development, his younger brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but denied involvement in a killing.
The brothers are at this time in detention before court proceedings in jails in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".
"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are female," they added.
"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."