🔗 Share this article

The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her young daughter, 10 have been discovered inside freezing appliances in an residence in western Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the Syrian woman, informed authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.

Informing the media recently, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office said the two suspects were being detained on "strong suspicion of intentional killing".

The identities of those involved have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was originally brought to light by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Authorities revealed the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

Her bank card was then discovered to be utilized overseas on multiple occasions.

Yet when officers entered the woman's home, her smartphone was located.

A witness also stated listening to a loud noise in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the occasion the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader official inquiry was started, with investigators finding multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—including a resignation letter to her company and texts to the male associate.

Law enforcement stated a four-figure sum was also sent to the man.

A senior police official stated to the press on that day that a storage unit had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezer had been placed there.

The brothers extracted the appliance from the facility on the day the victims went missing, she stated. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Investigators believe they think this indicates the deaths were premeditated.

"The reason for their demise could not be determined due to the advanced decay of the remains," Tersch said.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—said the precise timeline is not yet known, but the victims were expertly concealed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were arrested in June, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an occurrence and to storing the victims. He rejects any plan to cause death, officials confirmed.

Meanwhile, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but rejected awareness of a killing.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in two Austrian cities, situated at a distance.

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of two individuals and exposes a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the simple reality that they are of the female gender," they went on to say.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and widespread concern that we must fight resolutely."