Disturbing Find: Bodies of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezers in Austria

Placeholder image Related image

The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been found inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were placed behind a false wall in the flat, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, informed police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but rejected homicide.

Addressing the media earlier, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the pair were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

The names of those concerned have been withheld by authorities, in accordance with Austrian law.

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

Police revealed the male associate told them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active overseas several times.

But when investigators entered the mother's apartment, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mother" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

A broader official inquiry was launched, with investigators finding various messages originating from the woman's phone—including a job termination message to her company and communications to the 55-year-old suspect.

Authorities confirmed a significant cash transfer was also moved to the individual.

Placeholder image Related image

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on Tuesday that a storage facility had been rented out before the vanishing and a freezer had been installed within.

The brothers took out the appliance from the storage space on the very day the mother and daughter went missing, Tersch said. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Authorities state they think this points to the fatalities were premeditated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the condition of the bodies," Tersch stated.

A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the remains were expertly concealed and not discovered during a previous house search.

While the men were detained in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the suspect admitted to an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, investigators stated.

In a related development, his brother admitted to a cover-up but disputed awareness of a homicide.

The two suspects are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."

Michael Reid
Michael Reid

A seasoned gaming analyst with over a decade of experience in online casinos, specializing in slot mechanics and player psychology.