Disturbing Find: Bodies of Missing Mother and Child Located in Freezers in Austria
The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the Innsbruck area.
Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected homicide.
Addressing reporters previously, a representative for the public prosecutor's office said the pair were being held on "high likelihood of homicide".
The identities of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.
The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Police revealed the woman's colleague told them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.
The victim's bank card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.
Yet when officers examined the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was found.
Someone also reported hearing a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the date the two were believed to have vanished.
A broader official inquiry was started, with investigators uncovering several texts originating from the woman's phone—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and texts to the 55-year-old suspect.
Law enforcement stated a amount in the thousands was also sent to the individual.
Katja Tersch stated to media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.
The brothers removed the cooling unit from the storage space on the very day the mother and daughter disappeared, she revealed. And a shortly afterward, they obtained a second unit.
Investigators say they believe this points to the deaths were planned in advance.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," she commented.
The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.
Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the elder brother admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He denies any intent to kill, officials said.
Meanwhile, his brother confessed to a concealment but denied awareness of a killing.
The two suspects are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in separate locations, situated at a distance.
Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and reveals a brutal scheme".
"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are female," they continued.
"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."