A 54-year-old is suspected of having killed his wife (57) in Vienna-Hietzing. Police spokesman Mohamed Ibrahim reported that the man himself was discovered by police officers next to the dead body on Thursday morning. Any help came too late for the woman. “The suspect had vital signs. He was taken to a hospital,” said the spokesman. The 57-year-old is said to have suffered from a serious illness.
The couple’s daughter called the police around 7:30 a.m. The father called her beforehand and announced “that he would kill his wife and then himself.” After the daughter’s emergency call was received, several patrol cars, rescue and professional fire brigade raced to the scene. Officers found “the couple motionless in bed,” Ibrahim said. The woman could not be resuscitated.
The State Criminal Police Office in Vienna is investigating “at full speed” on suspicion of murder and attempted suicide. The cause of death was still unclear, the investigators said strangulation marks were found on the woman’s neck. The background to the crime has not yet been clarified, emphasized Mohamed, but a connection with a serious illness in the 57-year-old is suspected.
The man was in critical condition in a hospital Thursday afternoon. He is said to have taken various medications. A farewell letter has not yet been found.
(SERVICE – The suicide prevention portal of the Ministry of Health offers help for people with suicidal thoughts and their relatives. Contact details of support organizations in Austria can be found at www.suizid-praevention.gv.at. Information for young people can be found at www.bittelebe.at)