Shocking Find: Remains of Missing Mum and Daughter Found in Freezers in Austria
The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an residence in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.
Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told police last week that there had been an incident—but rejected intentional killing.
Informing the media previously, a representative for the state prosecutor stated the pair were being held on "strong suspicion of homicide".
The names of those concerned have not been released by authorities, in compliance with Austrian law.
Their going missing was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Investigators revealed the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had taken an long journey with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.
The mother's debit card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.
But when police examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was discovered.
Someone also reported hearing a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the occasion the mother and child were believed to have vanished.
A wider police investigation was launched, with investigators uncovering several texts transmitted via the victim's mobile—such as a job termination message to her workplace and messages to the male associate.
Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also transferred to the man.
Katja Tersch told the press on recently that a rented space had been secured before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.
The male siblings extracted the cooling unit from the storage space on the very day the victims disappeared, Tersch revealed. And a shortly afterward, they obtained a second unit.
Officials believe they consider this suggests the demise were intentionally orchestrated.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the victims," the official commented.
Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the exact sequence of events is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.
While the men were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the elder brother confessed to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any plan to cause death, officials said.
Meanwhile, his younger brother admitted to a cover-up but denied awareness of a killing.
The brothers are presently in custody awaiting trial in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative declared the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".
"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.
"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must address decisively."