Tragic Find: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Found in Freezers in Austria
The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an residence in the western part of Austria.
The victims, a Syrian woman 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 placed behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the city of Innsbruck.
Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were taken into custody in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but rejected murder.
Addressing the media previously, a spokesman for the legal authorities stated the pair were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".
The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with Austrian law.
Their going missing was first reported by the female victim's relative, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Police revealed the male associate told them at the time she had taken an long journey with her daughter to visit her parents in Turkey.
Her bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.
Yet when police examined the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.
A witness also stated hearing a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mum" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.
An expanded police investigation was launched, with investigators finding various messages sent from the woman's phone—including a resignation letter to her employer and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.
Law enforcement stated a amount in the thousands was also moved to the man.
A senior police official stated to the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been placed there.
The two suspects took out the appliance from the storage space on the date the victims went missing, she stated. And a shortly afterward, they acquired another freezer.
Investigators state they think this points to the demise were premeditated.
"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the victims," Tersch stated.
A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and not discovered during a prior examination.
While the men were taken into custody in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an event and to storing the victims. He denies any murderous intent, investigators stated.
Meanwhile, his brother confessed to a concealment but rejected knowledge of a murder.
The pair are currently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.
Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and exposes a brutal scheme".
"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.
"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."