Disturbing Unearthing: Bodies of Vanished Mother and Child Located in Freezers in the Alpine Nation
The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an flat in western Austria.
The deceased, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated 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, stated to police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed murder.
Informing reporters recently, a official for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".
Personal details of those involved have not been disclosed by police, in compliance with national regulations.
The family's disappearance was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.
Police said the male associate claimed at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used overseas repeatedly.
But when officers examined the woman's home, her cellphone was located.
An individual also stated overhearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and shouts of "mama" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.
A broader official inquiry was started, with officers finding several texts sent from the woman's phone—including a resignation letter to her employer and communications to the male associate.
Officials stated a amount in the thousands was also moved to the man.
Katja Tersch told the press on recently that a storage facility had been rented out before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been installed within.
The brothers removed the freezer from the facility on the date the victims disappeared, she said. And a week later, they purchased an additional appliance.
Investigators state they think this suggests the deaths were premeditated.
"How they died remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official said.
The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and were not found during a previous house search.
Although the brothers were detained in June, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He rejects any murderous intent, officials said.
At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a concealment but disputed awareness of a murder.
The two suspects are presently in custody awaiting trial in jails in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.
In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".
"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.
"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."