Shocking Find: Bodies of Vanished Mum and Daughter Located in Freezers in Austria

The bodies of a 34-year-old woman and her 10-year-old daughter have been located inside freezing appliances in an apartment in western Austria.

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been unaccounted for for a number of months, were detected on Friday. The freezers were hidden behind a drywall partition in the flat, situated in the Innsbruck area.

A pair of males, a Austrian man, 55 and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the Syrian woman, stated to law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but disputed homicide.

Speaking to reporters earlier, a official for the legal authorities said the two suspects were being kept in custody on "serious suspicion of intentional killing".

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

Their going missing was initially flagged by the female victim's relative, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police stated the male associate claimed at the time she had taken an extended trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey.

Her bank card was then noted as being active abroad repeatedly.

However when investigators examined the victim's residence, her smartphone was located.

A witness also stated overhearing a disturbing sound in the flat, and screams of "mama" on the day the pair were presumed to have gone missing.

An expanded official inquiry was started, with investigators finding various messages transmitted via the mother's device—including a job termination message to her workplace and texts to the male associate.

Officials said a significant cash transfer was also moved to the man.

A senior police official informed the press on Tuesday that a storage facility had been leased before the mother and child went missing and a cooling unit had been positioned inside.

The male siblings extracted the appliance from the storage space on the date the mother and daughter vanished, she stated. And a week later, they acquired an additional appliance.

Authorities state they think this indicates the fatalities were planned in advance.

"The reason for their demise remains unclear due to the condition of the victims," she commented.

Mayr—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the precise timeline is yet to be determined, but the remains were expertly concealed and were not found during a previous house search.

While the suspects were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on the 12th of November that the elder brother acknowledged an occurrence and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, authorities confirmed.

In a related development, his younger brother confessed to a cover-up but denied involvement in a homicide.

The pair are presently in custody awaiting trial in detention centers in separate locations, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and Justice Minister stated the "suspected killing of two... symbolizes the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a heartless setup".

"Women and girls are falling victim to homicide due to the simple reality that they are female," they added.

"Murders of women are a profoundly embedded and society-wide problem that we must combat firmly."