Innsbruck: Bodies of Mother and Daughter Were Hidden in Freezer Behind Wall

A 34-year-old woman and her ten-year-old daughter, missing since July 2024, were found dead on Friday hidden behind a drywall in two freezers in an apartment in the Tyrolean capital of Innsbruck. Two men, a 55-year-old Austrian and his 53-year-old brother, are under "urgent suspicion of murder," said public prosecutor's office spokesman Hansjörg Mayr at a press conference on Tuesday. They had already been arrested in June.

The two are not confessing, but admitted to acts of concealment or hiding the bodies. The 55-year-old spoke of an accident. The bodies were found in the apartment of the 53-year-old brother. For several months, the Tyrolean State Criminal Police Office had been investigating under the direction of the Innsbruck public prosecutor's office on suspicion of double murder, it was said. In this context, the two suspects had already been arrested before the actual discovery of the two bodies. The two men are in pre-trial detention in the correctional facilities in Innsbruck and Salzburg.

Woman and Daughter Reported Missing by Relative

This is a "special case," said State Police Director Helmut Tomac on Tuesday during a press conference. The disappearance of the Syrian woman and her daughter was reported by the woman's cousin, who lives in Germany, on June 25, 2024. Subsequently, the 55-year-old suspect - he is a colleague of the 34-year-old and there was also a private close relationship between the two - reported that the woman had gone on a long trip with her child to visit her parents in Turkey. The last contact was on June 21. Subsequently, the ATM card of the 34-year-old was used multiple times abroad.

The victim's apartment was checked after the missing person report. It was "locked and provided no further clues about their whereabouts," explained State Criminal Police Office Director Katja Tersch. However, the mobile phones of the mother and daughter were found - which is "unusual." A witness also heard a thud in the apartment and calls of "Mama" on the day of their disappearance. However, only the now main suspect could report about the planned trip to Turkey.

Suspicious Circumstances Led to Stronger Suspicion

There was no further contact with the mother and daughter. Due to suspicious circumstances, intensive international investigations were conducted. Surveillance was carried out, and IT data was evaluated. The whereabouts of the missing persons remained unclear. Shortly after her disappearance, messages were sent from the woman's mobile phone - such as a resignation letter to the employer or a bank. Otherwise, only messages were sent to the 55-year-old, but no messages in the victim's native Arabic language. A four-digit amount was also transferred to the now main suspect - which he justified as a "repayment."

Ultimately, the suspicion against the woman's colleague and his brother was confirmed, reported Tersch. A storage room had already been rented before the victims disappeared, and a locked freezer was brought there. Furthermore, it was established that the two suspects took a freezer from the storage on the day the missing persons disappeared and later returned it. Shortly thereafter, they acquired another freezer. A week later, they transported both freezers one after the other to an unknown location at the time. The main suspect also later sold the victim's jewelry.

Cause of Death and Course of Events Unclear

The 55-year-old and his brother were arrested in June. It was not until November 12 that the 55-year-old admitted to an accidental event and the hiding of the bodies. The 53-year-old also confessed to the acts of concealment. However, he denied having knowledge of a homicide. On Friday, the bodies of the two female victims were finally found hidden in the freezers behind a specially erected drywall in the 53-year-old brother's apartment. "The cause of death could not be determined due to the state of decomposition of the bodies," said Tersch. Further forensic examinations are required for this. Although the bodies had been cooled, the electricity was turned off in the now uninhabited apartment after the suspects were arrested.

The exact course of events has also not yet been clarified, said public prosecutor's office spokesman Hansjörg Mayr. According to Mayr, the bodies were "very professionally" hidden and therefore not discovered during an earlier house search. However, other evidence, such as the prior acquisition of a freezer in which the two bodies were stored, apparently suggested the suspicion of a planned crime. The main suspect also apparently wanted to sell items from the victim's apartment via an online platform after the woman's disappearance. However, the investigations are not yet complete.

Case Reveals "Cruel System"

Minister for Women Eva-Maria Holzleitner (SPÖ) and Minister of Justice Anna Sporrer (SPÖ) expressed their "shock" at the case in a statement to the APA. The alleged double murder represents "the abrupt and brutal end of two human lives" and reveals "a cruel system." "Women and girls are murdered because they are women and girls," said the ministers. Femicide is a deeply rooted and societal problem. The federal government intends to continue to take decisive action against it, the two stated, referring to the National Action Plan against Violence against Women.

(APA/Red)

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