Motive still unclear

Two dead bodies discovered in locked workshop garage

The crime scene in Bärnbach

(Bild: Jürgen Fuchs)

Shock in the Voitsberg district of Styria: emergency services discovered two bodies in a locked garage in Bärnbach. A 30-year-old had previously alerted the fire department as his father was unavailable. According to initial investigations, a 56-year-old may have beaten his cousin (61) to death and then hanged himself.

At around 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, the 30-year-old called the fire department after he was unable to reach his father. The workshop was locked, the key was inserted from the inside and the radio was playing inside, which seemed unusual to him, the police said.

After opening the door, the emergency services discovered two lifeless men. According to initial investigations, they were the 61-year-old father of the ad man and the father's 56-year-old cousin. The deceased were also from the Voitsberg district.

The Styrian State Office of Criminal Investigation has taken over the investigation. "Investigations to date indicate that it could be a case of murder and suicide," the police announced in a press release.

Background still completely unclear
It then became known on Monday morning that the 56-year-old had apparently killed his cousin, who was five years older than him, in the former workshop and then committed suicide. An axe was recovered at the scene of the crime, which is likely to be the murder weapon. The motive is still being investigated, but there are no indications of any previous quarrels between the victim and the perpetrator. 

If you or a person close to you are in an exceptional psychological situation or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, please contact the telephone helpline on 142. You can find other crisis telephones and emergency numbers HERE.