Tragic Discovery: Bodies of Missing Mum and Daughter Found in Freezers in Austria

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The remains of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a false wall in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied intentional killing.

Addressing reporters previously, a official for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being detained on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The identities of those involved have not been released by law enforcement, in following local legislation.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Investigators revealed the male associate told them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her child to see her family in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations several times.

But when investigators searched the mother's apartment, her cellphone was located.

Someone also claimed hearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the date the mother and child were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader official inquiry was initiated, with officers finding various messages sent from the woman's phone—among them a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

Officials confirmed a four-figure sum was also transferred to the individual.

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Katja Tersch stated to reporters on recently that a rented space had been secured before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been placed there.

The two suspects took out the freezer from the storage space on the very day the mother and daughter disappeared, Tersch revealed. And a week later, they acquired another freezer.

Officials say they think this points to the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," Tersch said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is yet to be determined, but the bodies were professionally hidden and went unnoticed during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in June, it was only on November 12 that the suspect acknowledged an occurrence and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, authorities said.

At the same time, his 53-year-old sibling confessed to a attempt to hide evidence but denied knowledge of a homicide.

The two suspects are currently in pre-trial detention in detention centers in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and reveals a heartless setup".

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

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must address decisively."

Patricia Campbell
Patricia Campbell

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