Disturbing Find: Bodies of Missing Mother and Child Found in Freezing Units in Austria

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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a drywall partition in the flat, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the female victim, informed authorities last week that there had been an incident—but rejected homicide.

Informing reporters previously, a spokesman for the state prosecutor announced the two suspects were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The identities of those implicated have been withheld by law enforcement, in following Austrian law.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Investigators said the male associate claimed at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized abroad several times.

But when police entered the woman's home, her smartphone was located.

Someone also claimed hearing a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mama" on the day the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A broader criminal probe was initiated, with officers uncovering several texts sent from the mother's device—such as a notice of quitting to her employer and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Law enforcement said a amount in the thousands was also moved to the man.

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The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed reporters on Tuesday that a rented space had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been placed there.

The brothers took out the appliance from the facility on the day the woman and her child disappeared, Tersch stated. And a seven days after, they purchased an additional appliance.

Investigators say they consider this points to the deaths were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the bodies," Tersch said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—stated the precise timeline is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and were not found during a previous house search.

While the men were arrested in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He denies any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a cover-up but disputed awareness of a killing.

The pair are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative stated the "suspected killing of two... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they added.

"Femicides are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must address decisively."

Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong

A theoretical physicist and science writer with a passion for making complex concepts accessible to a broad audience.