Shocking Unearthing: Remains of Missing Mum and Daughter Found in Freezing Units in the Alpine Nation
The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezing appliances in an flat in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.
A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, stated to authorities last week that there had been an incident—but rejected murder.
Speaking to reporters previously, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".
The identities of those concerned have been withheld by police, in accordance with Austrian law.
Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on 25 July 2024.
Authorities said the male associate claimed at the time she had taken an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.
The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations several times.
Yet when investigators examined the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.
An individual also reported overhearing a commotion in the dwelling, and screams of "mum" on the occasion the two were presumed to have gone missing.
A wider criminal probe was initiated, with investigators uncovering multiple communications transmitted via the mother's device—including a job termination message to her employer and messages to the male colleague.
Law enforcement confirmed a significant cash transfer was also transferred to the suspect.
A senior police official told media representatives on that day that a storage unit had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.
The two suspects extracted the freezer from the storage space on the date the victims disappeared, the official revealed. And a seven days after, they acquired an additional appliance.
Officials believe they think this suggests the demise were planned in advance.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," she commented.
The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.
While the brothers were arrested in June, it was only on the 12th of November that the 55-year-old confessed to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any plan to cause death, officials confirmed.
Meanwhile, his younger brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but rejected knowledge of a homicide.
The pair are currently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in separate locations, situated at a distance.
Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".
"Females of all ages are being killed due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they continued.
"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."