Tragic Discovery: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Located in Freezing Units in Austria
The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.
The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.
Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, told authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected murder.
Speaking to journalists previously, a official for the public prosecutor's office announced the brothers were being held on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".
The identities of those concerned have not been released by police, in following local legislation.
The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Authorities stated the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.
The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.
But when investigators entered the woman's home, her smartphone was found.
A witness also stated overhearing a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the occasion the mother and child were thought to have disappeared.
A broader police investigation was started, with investigators uncovering several texts originating from the mother's device—among them a job termination message to her employer and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.
Law enforcement confirmed a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.
A senior police official informed media representatives on recently that a storage unit had been leased before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.
The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the unit on the date the victims vanished, the official said. And a seven days after, they purchased a second unit.
Authorities believe they believe this points to the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.
"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the bodies," the official commented.
Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is still unclear, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.
Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He rejects any intent to kill, investigators stated.
At the same time, his brother confessed to a cover-up but denied involvement in a homicide.
The brothers are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.
Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative said the "suspected killing of two... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and exposes a brutal scheme".
"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are female," they went on to say.
"Femicides are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."
