🔗 Share this article

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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for a number of months, were uncovered on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the female victim, stated to police last week that there had been an incident—but disputed intentional killing.

Addressing reporters recently, a representative for the public prosecutor's office announced the pair were being held on "serious suspicion of murder".

Personal details of those implicated have not been disclosed by authorities, in compliance with Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on 25 July 2024.

Authorities revealed the male associate told them at the time she had gone on an extended trip with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then discovered to be utilized abroad on multiple occasions.

However when police searched the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.

A witness also reported hearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the date the two were thought to have disappeared.

A broader criminal probe was started, with authorities uncovering various messages transmitted via the mother's device—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and texts to the male associate.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told the press on Tuesday that a storage unit had been secured before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been placed there.

The two suspects took out the cooling unit from the storage space on the day the victims disappeared, the official stated. And a seven days after, they obtained an additional appliance.

Officials believe they think this indicates the fatalities were intentionally orchestrated.

"The cause of death was not identifiable due to the condition of the bodies," the official said.

The prosecutor's spokesman—from the legal authorities—noted the precise timeline is not yet known, but the remains were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were arrested in the summer, it was only on 12 November that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any plan to cause death, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother confessed to a concealment but rejected awareness of a homicide.

The brothers are at this time in pre-trial detention in jails in Innsbruck and Salzburg, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

Through a combined announcement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister declared the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and uncovers a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the sole reason that they are women and girls," they went on to say.

"Gender-based killings are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."