Shocking Find: Remains of Missing Mother and Child Found in Freezers in Austria

The bodies of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been found inside freezing appliances in an apartment in the western part of Austria.

The victims, a Syrian woman and her child, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were concealed behind a plasterboard wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were arrested in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but disputed intentional killing.

Informing the media recently, a official for the legal authorities announced the two suspects were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of murder".

The names of those implicated have not been released by police, in compliance with local legislation.

Their going missing was first reported by the woman's cousin, who is based in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Investigators stated the 55-year-old suspect told them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then noted as being active in foreign locations repeatedly.

Yet when police entered the woman's home, her mobile phone was found.

A witness also reported hearing a commotion in the dwelling, and shouts of "mum" on the date the pair were thought to have disappeared.

A wider police investigation was started, with authorities uncovering various messages sent from the woman's phone—such as a notice of quitting to her employer and messages to the male colleague.

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

A senior police official told media representatives on recently that a storage facility had been rented out before the victims' disappearance and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The two suspects removed the appliance from the storage space on the day the victims disappeared, she stated. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Officials state they think this suggests the fatalities were premeditated.

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

Mayr—from the legal authorities—said the specific order of occurrences is yet to be determined, but the victims were carefully placed and not discovered during a prior examination.

While the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the elder brother admitted to an incident and to storing the victims. He disputes any murderous intent, investigators said.

In a related development, his brother admitted to a attempt to hide evidence but disputed awareness of a homicide.

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

Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister said the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and reveals a cruel system".

"Female individuals are being murdered due to the sole reason that they are of the female gender," they added.

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