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

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

The deceased, a woman from Syria and her daughter, who had been missing for several months, were found on the end of last week. The cooling units were placed behind a plasterboard wall in the flat, located in the Innsbruck area.

Two individuals, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, were detained in June. The 55-year-old, a work associate of the female victim, informed law enforcement last week that there had been an accident—but denied intentional killing.

Informing the media previously, a representative for the state prosecutor announced the brothers were being kept in custody on "strong suspicion of homicide".

Personal details of those concerned have not been disclosed by police, in accordance with local legislation.

Their going missing was initially flagged by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on the 25th of July last year.

Authorities stated the 55-year-old suspect informed them at the time she had embarked on an long journey with her child to visit her parents in the nation of Turkey.

Her bank card was then found to have been used in foreign locations repeatedly.

But when officers searched the victim's residence, her smartphone was found.

A witness also claimed overhearing a loud noise in the flat, and cries of "mama" on the day the two were believed to have vanished.

A broader criminal probe was initiated, with authorities finding multiple communications transmitted via the victim's mobile—among them a notice of quitting to her workplace and communications to the male colleague.

Officials said a four-figure sum was also moved to the individual.

A senior police official stated to reporters on Tuesday that a storage facility had been secured before the victims' disappearance and a freezing appliance had been installed within.

The two suspects removed the cooling unit from the unit on the date the woman and her child vanished, Tersch said. And a week later, they purchased a second unit.

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

"The reason for their demise was not identifiable due to the state of decomposition of the remains," the official commented.

The prosecutor's spokesman—of the public prosecutor's office—noted the specific order of occurrences is not yet known, but the bodies were expertly concealed and were not found during a earlier inspection.

Although the suspects were detained in the summer, it was not until 12 November that the 55-year-old confessed to an incident and to hiding the bodies. He denies any murderous intent, investigators confirmed.

At the same time, his brother acknowledged a concealment but rejected awareness of a murder.

The brothers are currently in detention before court proceedings in jails in two Austrian cities, approximately 189 kilometers away from each other.

In a joint statement, the nation's official for women's affairs and the top legal representative declared the "suspected killing of two... constitutes the abrupt and violent termination of two individuals and reveals a brutal scheme".

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

"Femicides are a deeply rooted and society-wide problem that we must fight resolutely."