Shocking Unearthing: Remains of Missing Mum and Daughter Found in Freezers in Austria
The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an apartment in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.
A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an accident—but rejected homicide.
Addressing journalists earlier, a spokesman for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of homicide".
Personal details of those implicated have not been released by police, in following national regulations.
The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.
Authorities revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.
The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized abroad on multiple occasions.
But when police entered the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.
A witness also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mama" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.
An expanded official inquiry was launched, with authorities finding various messages originating from the victim's mobile—among them a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male colleague.
Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.
A senior police official stated to the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been placed there.
The two suspects extracted the cooling unit from the facility on the very day the woman and her child went missing, Tersch revealed. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.
Investigators believe they believe this suggests the fatalities were planned in advance.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," the official stated.
A legal representative—from the legal authorities—noted the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the remains were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.
While the men were arrested in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the suspect confessed to an event and to hiding the bodies. He rejects any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.
Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but rejected awareness of a killing.
The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in detention centers in two Austrian cities, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and uncovers a cruel system".
"Female individuals are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.
"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."
