Tragic Discovery: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Located in Freezers in the Alpine Nation
The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezers in an residence in western Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.
A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.
Informing reporters recently, a representative for the state prosecutor said the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of murder".
Personal details of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with Austrian law.
The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Investigators said the woman's colleague claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.
But when officers searched the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.
A witness also claimed overhearing a commotion in the dwelling, and screams of "mama" on the day the pair were believed to have vanished.
A broader criminal probe was started, with authorities uncovering various messages originating from the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her company and messages to the male colleague.
Officials stated a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.
A senior police official informed reporters on Tuesday that a storage unit had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been positioned inside.
The brothers removed the cooling unit from the facility on the date the victims disappeared, she revealed. And a seven days after, they purchased a second unit.
Authorities believe they think this indicates the deaths were premeditated.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," the official commented.
Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the victims were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.
Although the men were detained in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the suspect confessed to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities said.
At the same time, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but rejected involvement in a homicide.
The brothers are at this time in custody awaiting trial in jails in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.
In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of a mother and child and reveals a heartless setup".
"Women and girls are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they went on to say.
"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."
