🔗 Share this article

The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her young daughter, 10 have been located inside freezing appliances in an flat in western Austria.

The victims, a woman from Syria and her child, who had been missing for several months, were detected on Friday. The cooling units were hidden behind a drywall partition in the apartment, located in the city of Innsbruck.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in the month of June. The older man, a work associate of the female victim, informed authorities last week that there had been an accident—but rejected homicide.

Informing the media earlier, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the brothers were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The names of those involved have not been disclosed by authorities, in following Austrian law.

The family's disappearance was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an extended trip with her child to travel to her relatives in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active overseas repeatedly.

But when investigators examined the victim's residence, her cellphone was found.

An individual also claimed listening to a commotion in the apartment, and cries of "mum" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader police investigation was launched, with officers finding multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—including a job termination message to her company and messages to the male colleague.

Authorities said a four-figure sum was also transferred to the man.

A senior police official told reporters on that day that a rented space had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The two suspects took out the freezer from the storage space on the date the woman and her child went missing, the official stated. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Investigators believe they believe this points to the demise were premeditated.

"The cause of death remains unclear due to the condition of the remains," the official stated.

Mayr—representing the state—said the specific order of occurrences is still unclear, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a prior examination.

Although the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old acknowledged an event and to concealing the remains. He disputes any murderous intent, officials confirmed.

In a related development, his brother admitted to a cover-up but rejected knowledge of a murder.

The brothers are presently in detention before court proceedings in detention centers in Innsbruck and Salzburg, situated at a distance.

Via a shared communication, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister declared the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the sudden and brutal end of two human lives and reveals a brutal scheme".

"Women and girls are being murdered due to the mere fact that they are female," they went on to say.

"Murders of women are a strongly established and widespread concern that we must combat firmly."