Shocking Find: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Located in Freezers in Austria
The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezers in an apartment in western Austria.
The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the Innsbruck area.
A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.
Informing the media previously, a representative for the legal authorities stated the brothers were being detained on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".
Personal details of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in following local legislation.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Investigators said the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had taken an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.
Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized in foreign locations several times.
Yet when investigators examined the woman's home, her cellphone was found.
Someone also reported listening to a disturbing sound in the apartment, and cries of "mama" on the occasion the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.
A wider criminal probe was started, with authorities finding multiple communications originating from the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male associate.
Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office stated to media representatives on Tuesday that a rented space had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been installed within.
The two suspects took out the appliance from the facility on the date the woman and her child vanished, the official said. And a week later, they obtained another freezer.
Officials believe they consider this indicates the demise were premeditated.
"The cause of death could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," she said.
The prosecutor's spokesman—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.
Although the men were taken into custody in June, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any murderous intent, officials stated.
Meanwhile, his brother acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but rejected awareness of a murder.
The two suspects are currently in pre-trial detention in prisons in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.
Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative said the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and uncovers a brutal scheme".
"Women and girls are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they continued.
"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."
