Tragic Unearthing: Bodies of Vanished Mother and Child Found in Freezers in Austria
The remains of a 34-year-old woman 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 unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.
Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an incident—but denied murder.
Informing journalists earlier, a official for the legal authorities said the brothers were being held on "high likelihood of homicide".
Personal details of those implicated have not been released by police, in following Austrian law.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.
The mother's debit card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.
But when police searched the victim's residence, her smartphone was found.
An individual also claimed hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and shouts of "mother" on the occasion the pair were believed to have vanished.
A wider police investigation was initiated, with officers discovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—such as a job termination message to her workplace and communications to the male colleague.
Officials said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.
A senior police official stated to media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been secured before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.
The male siblings removed the freezer from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter vanished, the official revealed. And a seven days after, they obtained a second unit.
Investigators say they consider this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.
"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the bodies," she said.
A legal representative—from the legal authorities—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were expertly concealed and were not found during a prior examination.
While the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to storing the victims. He rejects any plan to cause death, officials stated.
At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a concealment but denied awareness of a murder.
The pair are presently in pre-trial detention in detention centers in separate locations, situated at a distance.
In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... constitutes 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 of the female gender," they went on to say.
"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."