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

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

The deceased, a Syrian woman and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on Friday. The cooling units were concealed behind a false wall in the dwelling, situated in the Innsbruck area.

Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his brother aged 53, were detained in the month of June. The 55-year-old, a colleague of the Syrian woman, told police last week that there had been an unfortunate event—but denied homicide.

Informing the media recently, a spokesman for the public prosecutor's office announced the two suspects were being held on "strong suspicion of murder".

The names of those concerned have not been disclosed by law enforcement, in following national regulations.

The vanishing of the mother and child was first reported by the woman's cousin, who resides in Germany, on July 25, 2024.

Police said the male associate informed them at the time she had embarked on an prolonged visit with her daughter to see her family in Turkey.

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

Yet when investigators examined the woman's home, her cellphone was found.

Someone also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and screams of "mother" on the day the mother and child were believed to have vanished.

An expanded police investigation was initiated, with officers uncovering several texts originating from the victim's mobile—such as a resignation letter to her workplace and texts to the male colleague.

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

The head of the State Criminal Police Office informed media representatives on Tuesday that a storage facility had been rented out before the vanishing and a cooling unit had been installed within.

The male siblings removed the cooling unit from the unit on the date the woman and her child went missing, she stated. And a week later, they obtained an additional appliance.

Officials state they consider this indicates the demise were intentionally orchestrated.

"How they died remains unclear due to the advanced decay of the victims," she stated.

A legal representative—from the legal authorities—stated the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the bodies were professionally hidden and not discovered during a earlier inspection.

While the brothers were taken into custody in the summer, it was only on November 12 that the suspect admitted to an event and to storing the victims. He disputes any intent to kill, authorities confirmed.

Meanwhile, his 53-year-old sibling admitted to a concealment but disputed involvement in a killing.

The pair are currently in detention before court proceedings in prisons in separate locations, around 117 miles (189km) apart.

In a joint statement, Austria's Minister for Women and the top legal representative said the "reported homicide of mother and child... represents the sudden and brutal end of a mother and child and exposes a heartless setup".

"Female individuals are being killed due to the mere fact that they are of the female gender," they added.

"Murders of women are a deeply rooted and issue affecting all of society that we must fight resolutely."