🔗 Share this article

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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were placed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, located in the city of Innsbruck.

Two men, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The elder brother, a work associate of the female victim, told authorities last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Informing journalists earlier, a official for the legal authorities said the two suspects were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of murder".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in compliance with national regulations.

The vanishing of the mother and child was originally brought to light by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect claimed at the time she had gone on an long journey with her daughter to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The victim's bank card was then noted as being active in foreign locations on multiple occasions.

However when investigators examined the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.

A witness also reported overhearing a loud noise in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the day the two were thought to have disappeared.

A wider official inquiry was initiated, with officers uncovering multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—among them a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

Law enforcement said a significant cash transfer was also sent to the individual.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office told reporters on that day that a rented space had been rented out before the mother and child went missing and a freezer had been installed within.

The two suspects extracted the freezer from the unit on the day the mother and daughter vanished, Tersch revealed. And a week later, they acquired an additional appliance.

Officials state they believe this indicates the demise were premeditated.

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

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the victims were professionally hidden and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the men were taken into custody in June, it was only on 12 November that the suspect admitted to an event and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, officials said.

In a related development, his 53-year-old sibling acknowledged a concealment but rejected knowledge of a murder.

The brothers are presently in pre-trial detention in prisons in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... symbolizes the swift and cruel conclusion of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

"Females of all ages are falling victim to homicide due to the mere fact that they are women and girls," they continued.

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must combat firmly."