Skeleton of death cult suicide victim found

The mysterious skeleton, which was found by a farmer at the bottom of a mountain near the town of Bad Ischl, in Upper Austria, was hidden in a man-made construction made out of stone and moss.

It is thought to belong to the female partner of a 52-year-old man from Lower Austria who committed suicide near Baden in February 2014, leaving a note beside his body that implied both he and his partner followed to a cult-like doomsday philosophy.

The mystery deepened after a second note was found that appeared to be a separate suicide note from his 43-year-old partner, although her body was nowhere to be found.

Now police say they believe the skeleton discovered in Upper Austria could be that of the woman, although they are still waiting to confirm the identity.

Speaking to the ORF, Gisbert Windischhofer from the Provincial Criminal Office, said: “The main question now is whether the body is actually this person. The problem for the forensic team is that they only have the skeleton. From that we have to pull a viable DNA sample.”

If the skeleton’s identity is confirmed to be the woman then police say they will investigate further into how she died and whether she actually took her own life.

The forensics report is expected in a few weeks, according to police.