Disturbing Discovery: Remains of Missing Mother and Child Found in Freezers in the Alpine Nation
The remains of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezers in an apartment in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were placed behind a false wall in the flat, situated in the city of Innsbruck.
A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The older man, a colleague of the female victim, told police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.
Addressing the media recently, a representative for the legal authorities stated the two suspects were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of murder".
The names of those implicated have not been released by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.
The family's disappearance was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who is based in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.
Police revealed the male associate informed them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.
The mother's debit card was then found to have been used in foreign locations on multiple occasions.
However when police searched the victim's residence, her mobile phone was discovered.
An individual also reported listening to a loud noise in the flat, and shouts of "mum" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.
An expanded criminal probe was launched, with investigators discovering various messages originating from the mother's device—including a notice of quitting to her company and texts to the male colleague.
Law enforcement confirmed a amount in the thousands was also moved to the suspect.
Katja Tersch told media representatives on recently that a storage unit had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.
The brothers extracted the appliance from the facility on the date the victims disappeared, she said. And a week later, they purchased an additional appliance.
Authorities state they consider this points to the demise were premeditated.
"How they died could not be determined due to the condition of the remains," Tersch stated.
A legal representative—representing the state—stated the precise timeline is not yet known, but the bodies were carefully placed and went unnoticed during a previous house search.
While the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until the 12th of November that the suspect confessed to an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, officials stated.
In a related development, his brother admitted to a concealment but rejected awareness of a killing.
The pair are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, around 117 miles (189km) apart.
Via a shared communication, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... represents the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and exposes a brutal scheme".
"Women and girls are being killed due to the simple reality that they are women and girls," they continued.
"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must address decisively."