Shocking Find: Remains of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezing Units in the Alpine Nation
The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.
Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, told police last week that there had been an accident—but disputed intentional killing.
Speaking to journalists recently, a spokesman for the state prosecutor announced the pair were being detained on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".
The names of those implicated have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with local legislation.
The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Police revealed the woman's colleague told them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her child to travel to her relatives in the nation of Turkey.
Her bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations repeatedly.
But when police entered the victim's residence, her cellphone was found.
Someone also stated listening to a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mother" on the date the mother and child were believed to have vanished.
An expanded official inquiry was started, with authorities uncovering several texts sent from the woman's phone—including a job termination message to her employer and messages to the male associate.
Officials stated a amount in the thousands was also transferred to the man.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been placed there.
The brothers removed the appliance from the facility on the date the victims went missing, Tersch revealed. And a seven days after, they acquired another freezer.
Investigators state they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.
"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the remains," she commented.
The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the victims were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a prior examination.
While the brothers were arrested in June, it was only on the 12th of November that the suspect admitted to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any plan to cause death, investigators stated.
Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but disputed knowledge of a homicide.
The pair are at this time in custody awaiting trial in jails in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.
Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and exposes a cruel system".
"Women and girls are being killed due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.
"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must address decisively."