Woman disappeared

Chance is the last chance in the Helga W. case.

Helga W. remains missing from the face of the earth.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/Laumat und Polizei)

Drones, sniffer dogs, hundreds of helpers and helicopters all failed in the search for a missing 64-year-old woman from Walding. The woman disappeared without a trace during a hike with her husband on June 30. Speculation is now rife.

Rarely has such an effort been made for days on end, but now the search for Helga W. (64) from Walding is officially over. "Of course we continue to look when we are out and about in the area, but the last major search operation was carried out on July 5," says Martin Trautwein from the Grünau im Almtal mountain rescue team. The helpers, most recently 100 emergency personnel from the police, fire department and mountain rescue service with 15 search dogs, record every step in detail so that they know which paths have already been walked in the extensive Almtal valley.

Numerous helpers have been deployed - so far in vain.

(Bild: Lauber/laumat.at Matthias)

Woman was never seen
It is not possible to search everything, but the helpers do not assume that Helga W. had strayed far from the paths that lead from the Almtalerhaus to the Welser Hütte. As reported, she had planned the tour with her husband (62) and the couple set off together from the Almtalerhaus on June 30th. However, only the 62-year-old had been seen by other hikers.

We have no clues, except for the starting point of the tour. Search dogs have been successful, but this hope has also come to nothing. We will continue to keep our eyes open for the woman.

Martin Trautwein, Ortsstellenleiter der Bergrettung Grünau im Almtal. Bei der Suche nach der 64-jährigen Helga W. waren extra auch Bergretter aus ganz Österreich angereist.

Husband sounded the alarm
In an interview with the "Krone" newspaper, the man from Walding confirmed that the couple had separated quickly, and acquaintances in Walding also know that he was happy to go ahead quickly. When his wife did not arrive at the Welser Hütte, he turned around and raised the alarm in the evening.

Cell phone only located once
But apart from a brief log-in of her two-week-old cell phone in the only radio mast in the area on the evening of her disappearance, there is no trace of the mother of two. Speculation about her whereabouts is now rife. However, the police have no doubts about the version. The investigators will continue to follow the case and, if time permits, will again look in small groups.

Death declaration possible after ten years at the earliest
For the relatives, the great uncertainty remains as to what happened to their wife and mother. Legally, Helga W. is considered missing and can only be declared dead "after more than ten years of dormant absence". Earlier judicial "proof of death" is only possible in such cases if witnesses have observed an accident or the missing person was demonstrably in mortal danger at the time of the disappearance - for example in a disaster area.