The deceased of a mother aged 34 and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an residence in the western part of Austria.
The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on the end of last week. The freezers were concealed behind a drywall partition in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.
Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were arrested in June. The elder brother, a colleague of the Syrian woman, stated to authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.
Addressing journalists recently, a spokesman for the legal authorities announced the pair were being held on "high likelihood of murder".
Personal details of those involved have been withheld by law enforcement, in accordance with local legislation.
The vanishing of the mother and child was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on July 25, 2024.
Authorities said the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.
Her bank card was then noted as being active abroad repeatedly.
However when police searched the mother's apartment, her cellphone was discovered.
Someone also stated listening to a disturbing sound in the flat, and shouts of "mama" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.
A broader official inquiry was initiated, with authorities uncovering several texts sent from the mother's device—among them a resignation letter to her company and messages to the male associate.
Law enforcement confirmed a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.
The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed the press on that day that a storage unit had been leased before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.
The brothers removed the freezer from the storage space on the date the victims disappeared, the official stated. And a shortly afterward, they acquired an additional appliance.
Officials believe they consider this points to the demise were premeditated.
"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the advanced decay of the remains," she commented.
A legal representative—of the public prosecutor's office—stated the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the bodies were expertly concealed and not discovered during a earlier inspection.
Although the suspects were detained in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect admitted to an event and to concealing the remains. He denies any murderous intent, authorities said.
In a related development, his younger brother acknowledged a cover-up but denied knowledge of a killing.
The pair are at this time in pre-trial detention in prisons in separate locations, situated at a distance.
Through a combined announcement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "alleged double murder... constitutes the swift and cruel conclusion of two individuals and reveals a cruel system".
"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 deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must address decisively."
