As police spokeswoman Julia Schick confirmed, her partner was arrested as a suspect immediately at the crime scene near the Amalienbad. The injuries on the woman’s body indicated “blunt force trauma,” police said in the afternoon.
The police operation for the Favoriten city police command began on Sunday with an alarm about a lifeless person. At the address in question, they found a 39-year-old man and a woman who showed no signs of life in the apartment on the fifth floor of the cooperative building. But help came too late for them. “We could only confirm that he was dead,” explained a spokesperson for the Vienna professional rescue service. It was not yet clear on Sunday who had called the police. Further background information was also still “under investigation,” according to the police.
Evidence of “blunt force”
The woman had injuries to her neck, which Schick said indicated third-party negligence and “blunt force trauma.” It is currently suspected that the woman was strangled.
An autopsy should provide clarity here. The 39-year-old Austrian citizen, who was apparently in a long-term relationship with the much older victim, was arrested. His questioning was still ongoing at 3:45 p.m. in the afternoon. According to the police, his questioning is expected to be completed during the course of Sunday. It was not yet clear on Sunday whether there were any witnesses to the violent crime.
There were initially no clues as to the motive. The Vienna State Criminal Police Office, Southern Branch, took over the investigation.
Between January 1 and August 25, at least 15 women fell victim to femicide in Austria. Just on August 1, a 29-year-old woman was found dead in an apartment in Vienna-Meidling. Her husband was arrested a day later in Berlin.
Help in emergency situations
In Austria, women who experience violence can find help and information from the Women’s Helpline at: 0800-222-555, www.frauenhelpline.at; at the Association of Autonomous Austrian Women’s Shelters (AÖF) under www.aoef.at; Violence Protection Center Vienna: and the 24-hour women’s emergency number of the City of Vienna: 01-71719 as well as the women’s shelter emergency number on 057722 and the Austrian violence protection centers: 0800/700-217; police emergency number: 133
Article updated on 25.8.2024 at 16:04
