Shocking Unearthing: Remains of Vanished Mother and Child Found in Freezing Units in Austria

The deceased of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been discovered inside freezers in an flat in the western part of Austria.

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

Two individuals, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were taken into custody in the month of June. The elder brother, a work associate of the Syrian woman, told authorities last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied murder.

Speaking to reporters previously, a spokesman for the state prosecutor said the brothers were being kept in custody on "high likelihood of intentional killing".

The names of those concerned have been withheld 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 the 25th of July last year.

Authorities stated the male associate informed them at the time she had gone on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

The mother's debit card was then discovered to be utilized overseas several times.

Yet when investigators entered the victim's residence, her mobile phone was located.

A witness also claimed hearing a commotion in the dwelling, and shouts of "mother" on the date the two were presumed to have gone missing.

A broader criminal probe was launched, with investigators finding multiple communications originating from the victim's mobile—among them a resignation letter to her employer and texts to the male colleague.

Authorities stated a four-figure sum was also sent to the suspect.

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on that day that a rented space had been leased before the vanishing and a freezer had been placed there.

The brothers took out the cooling unit from the storage space on the very day the woman and her child went missing, Tersch revealed. And a week later, they acquired a second unit.

Officials say they believe this indicates the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the remains," she said.

Mayr—from the legal authorities—noted the exact sequence of events is still unclear, but the remains were professionally hidden and not discovered during a previous house search.

Although the suspects were taken into custody in June, it was not until 12 November that the suspect confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He disputes any intent to kill, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his younger brother acknowledged a cover-up but disputed involvement in 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, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "alleged double murder... symbolizes the abrupt and violent termination of two human lives and exposes a heartless setup".

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

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and widespread concern that we must address decisively."