Shocking Discovery: Bodies of Vanished Mum and Daughter Found in Freezing Units in Austria

Placeholder image Related image

The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezers in an flat in western Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Speaking to the media previously, a representative for the legal authorities said the two suspects were being held on "serious suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those concerned have not been released by law enforcement, in compliance with local legislation.

Their going missing was first reported by the cousin of the mother, who resides in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Police stated the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then found to have been used abroad on multiple occasions.

But when officers entered the woman's home, her smartphone was discovered.

An individual also claimed hearing a commotion in the apartment, and shouts of "mum" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

An expanded criminal probe was initiated, with officers discovering several texts transmitted via the mother's device—among them a notice of quitting to her employer and texts to the male associate.

Officials stated a significant cash transfer was also moved to the individual.

Placeholder image Related image

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on recently that a storage facility had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the facility on the day the woman and her child went missing, she revealed. And a seven days after, they purchased another freezer.

Investigators believe they consider this points to the demise were planned in advance.

"How they died could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the remains," she said.

A legal representative—representing the state—stated the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were professionally hidden and were not found during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were detained in June, it was only on November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He denies any intent to kill, authorities said.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a attempt to hide evidence but denied awareness of a killing.

The two suspects are currently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "alleged double murder... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and uncovers a cruel system".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must address decisively."

Shaun Boyer
Shaun Boyer

Marlene Fischer is a mobility expert with over a decade of experience in automotive leasing and sustainable transport solutions.