Horror in the Ötztal: two children murdered, father suspected of murder

Ein Polizeibeamter untersucht den Tatort der entsetzlichen Gewalttat in einem Doppelhaus in Längenfeld. Zwei kleine Mädchen sind tot, der Vater steht unter Mordverdacht.

© LIEBL Daniel | zeitungsfoto.at

By Thomas Hörmann and Benedikt Mair

Längenfeld – Two girls dead, father seriously injured (28) on suspicion of murder: the community of Längenfeld was the scene of a horrible act of violence on Monday. The motive is unclear: The 28-year-old suspect has not yet been questioned after attempting suicide. The villager was taken to the Zams hospital.

The mother was at work when her children died at nine months and two years of age. The violent crime was discovered by the mother’s sister, who lives in the neighborhood. “The woman went home in the afternoon,” says Katja Tersch, head of the State Criminal Police Office: “The police were alerted around 3:30 pm”

Autopsy Tuesday

The start of a large-scale operation in which, in addition to the police, three helicopters, several medical rescue and emergency teams and the crisis intervention team with six employees participated. Shortly after the alarm, officers discovered the two girls at the family home in a village near Längenfeld. Any help came too late for young children. “They died from an attack to the neck,” the LKA chief describes the preliminary results of the first local inspection. The exact circumstances that led to the girls’ deaths are to be clarified today during the autopsy at the Innsbruck forensic medicine. For example, when the children were killed, “the time is still not clear,” Tersch said Monday night.

The police officers also discovered the children’s father in the house. Supposedly he was in the bathtub. After a suicide attempt, the 28-year-old no longer responded. The Längenfelder was even in danger of death when the emergency services took him to the Zams hospital. By nightfall, his condition had stabilized and danger to life had been avoided.

No police record

In the afternoon, the crisis intervention team took care of desperate relatives. And the researchers looked for answers to the question about why. A look at the police databases yielded no results: “According to prior knowledge, so far the suspect or the family have gone completely unnoticed,” explains the head of the State Criminal Police Office: “There is no police record.”

Detectives currently assume that the father is responsible for the children’s deaths. There are currently no indications of any other suspects. For Ötztaler, 28, the presumption of innocence applies.

“The whole town is in shock”

The event causes horror throughout the Ötztal and beyond. “The whole town is in shock,” said Mayor Richard Grüner. He didn’t want to say anything more about it yesterday.

Confusion and dismay prevail in Längenfeld’s community of 4,300 residents. Also because the 28-year-old suspect behaved discreetly, according to the local community. He was well integrated into the community and actively participated in the life of the club and participated in events. The local neighbor had a regular, well-paid job, and to everyone who knew him, the crime was completely incomprehensible and unexpected, it is said. Obviously there was nothing to suggest.

The affected family has been cared for by the crisis intervention team since Monday. It is unclear if the congregation will react as well, and if so, how, and will likely only be decided in the next few days. Mayor Richard Grüner referred to the police investigation and said he wanted to wait first.