Shocking Discovery: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Located in Freezers in Austria
The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.
The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, situated in the Innsbruck area.
A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected intentional killing.
Speaking to reporters earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being detained on "serious suspicion of homicide".
The identities of those implicated have been withheld by police, in following local legislation.
The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Authorities stated the male associate claimed at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.
The victim's bank card was then noted as being active abroad on multiple occasions.
Yet when police examined the woman's home, her smartphone was found.
An individual also stated hearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and cries of "mum" on the occasion the two were presumed to have gone missing.
An expanded police investigation was initiated, with officers discovering several texts sent from the mother's device—including a notice of quitting to her company and messages to the 55-year-old suspect.
Law enforcement said a four-figure sum was also transferred to the suspect.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed the press on Tuesday that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been positioned inside.
The male siblings removed the appliance from the facility on the date the woman and her child disappeared, the official stated. And a shortly afterward, they acquired a second unit.
Authorities state they consider this points to the demise were intentionally orchestrated.
"How they died was not identifiable due to the condition of the victims," the official stated.
Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the remains were expertly concealed and went unnoticed during a previous house search.
Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother acknowledged an event and to concealing the remains. He denies any intent to kill, authorities said.
At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but disputed involvement in a murder.
The brothers are currently in custody awaiting trial in prisons in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.
In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of a mother and child and uncovers a cruel system".
"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they went on to say.
"Murders of women are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."